Her life, His problem
by WildSilence023
Summary: She led different kinds of lives – all of which are controlled by her father. He enters her life and loves her…Will he be able to help her break free from her own father? SasuSaku. AU.
1. Prologue

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Summary:** She led different kinds of lives – all of which are controlled by her father. He enters her life and loves her…Will he be able to help her break free from her own father? SasuSaku. AU.

**AN:** This is dedicated to the memory of my best friend, Manami Kaeda (March 10, 1993 – April 12, 2009).

Special thanks to _**kunoichi023**_ for convincing me into posting this. This is the first fanfic that I actually decided to post. Even if this is the case; I'm fine with any kind of review, whether negative or positive. I'd appreciate it more if the review is honest. _*smiles*_

**

* * *

****Prologue**

She quickly got up from bed and checked her wall clock. 3:30 am.

'_Perfect.' _She went to her bathroom and started to prepare for the day.

Sakura Haruno led five different lives – three of which are controlled by her father while the two others, her father was either not aware or didn't care.

Her first life: being a student. Known as 'Sakura No Surname Girl,' she was the top student of her batch. She always emphasized that she had no surname because her father told her not to reveal her identity to anyone. Because of this, she was an outcast and no one really wanted to befriend her. However, she didn't really care nor mind for she had bigger problems to face.

Her father expected her to always be at the top of her batch whether it was in academics, sports, or contests. If she didn't, he won't stop telling her how disappointed he was.

Her second life: being an heiress. This was the reason why her father didn't want anyone to know her identity. She was a Haruno – one of the ruling families of Konoha – but her father hasn't publicly announced it yet. It was so that they gained attention from the people since everyone became curious as to who the family's heiress was.

But even if people didn't know that she was the Haruno heiress, she still had to uphold her position in preparation for her public revelation. She had to take Etiquette Lessons everyday after school since she had to act, think, and speak like a lady at all times. The only good thing about these lessons was that she took them with Ino.

Her third life: being a friend. She only had three friends: Ino Yamanaka, Tenten, and Krisppina Caraan. Her father didn't care about Tenten nor Krisppina. His focus was Ino – the heiress of the Yamanaka family. Through her friendship with Sakura, they were able to keep the close ties that their families had. So as long as her father was concerned, Ino was her only friend.

Tenten was her only friend in school since they were both outcasts. She was an orphan and worked for herself. Krisppina, meanwhile, was her friend from another country. They met on one of her trips there and instantly became friends. They constantly communicated through chat.

Her fourth life: being an online writer. Her father didn't know about this. So, technically, she was able to write anything that she wanted to write. Usually, her stories contained the father of the girl as the bad guy. She wrote romance stories as well. It was to make up for the love and acceptance that she was yearning for everyday. She typed and updated her stories late at night so that her father doesn't find out.

Before she posted anything, she sent them to Krisppina first. She checked if the story was okay. Sakura treated her as a big sister who constantly guided her.

Her fifth life: being a daughter. She had to live her life according to what her father wanted. That meant being the top student, the finest heiress, and the perfect lady.

While she was brushing her hair, she looked at herself intently in the mirror. _'Look at you. You're such a mess. You're whole life is controlled by your father. You know why?'_

She dropped her brush and glared at her reflection. _'Because you're ugly. You're pathetic. He doesn't want a daughter like you. Unfortunately, he has no choice. You're the only one. That's why he has you on a tight leash…so that you won't go crazy and do something idiotic – something that you are highly capable of doing.'_

She had absolutely no respect for herself. She believed that she was ugly, pathetic, stupid, irresponsible…and all other insults that one could ever think of.

'_I hate myself…I can't even do anything to change my dilemma. I just go with the flow…I truly am stupid…'_

**

* * *

****AN:**

1. "Krisppina Caraan" is the name of my OC. If anyone else has or owns this name, it is merely by coincidence.

2. Should I continue this story? Should I even continue to write? Please let me know. Thank you.


	2. Sakura as a Whole

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** For those who are wondering about the OC, don't worry. She doesn't really have much of a role in the story.

Oh, and there's another OC that's going to be revealed in this chapter. She has no real significance in the plot, either.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Sakura as a Whole**

'_No.' _Sakura read the e-mail she received twice…thrice. She just couldn't believe it. _'It's absurd…It's impossible. She couldn't have…can she?'_

She heard a knock on her door. "Ms. Haruno, it is time to for you to go to school." It was her personal assistant and bodyguard, Kamiko Mori.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming." She turned off her laptop, took her bag from her bed, and got out of her room.

* * *

"I welcome you to another school year here in Central High School. I am Kurenai Yuhi, and I will be your class adviser. Now, let us begin with your introductions. Anybody can start."

One by one, the students volunteered to go to the front. Some wanted to stay in the spotlight longer to the point that they even gave out their phone number. Some wanted to act cool and winked, waved, or flirted in front of the entire class.

However, two students remained impassive at the back. They just sat and glanced at each other every now and then, not really caring what went on with the introductions. They were the school's outcasts. They became friends because no one else befriended them, not that they really wanted to anyway.

"You two still haven't introduced yourselves," said Kurenai, directing her hand to them.

Reluctantly, Tenten stood first. She really can't go against a teacher. Quickly, she said, "Name's Tenten." then went back to her seat.

Sakura walked to the front. Students murmured like there was no tomorrow. "Sakura. Just Sakura. No surname."

She noticed a guy looking at her as she went back to her seat. She merely ignored him and sat back down. She had no time for games.

* * *

When lunch came, without a word, Sakura pulled Tenten's arm and lead her to the rooftop.

"What's so important that you had to – technically – drag me here?"

"You know my big sister, right?"

"Yeah. The foreigner who's older than you by three months?"

Sakura nodded. "She e-mailed me…yesterday…I was only able to read it this morning…" She slumped to the floor and hugged herself, forgetting etiquette and her other life as an heiress.

Tenten sat beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"…She said she's…resting already…by the time I get to read the e-mail. She gave me her father's number in case I wanted to make sure…" Tears started to blur her vision but she blinked them away. _'I don't cry.'_

She sighed. Sakura was holding everything in again. "You could let it out, you know. It's just me, Sakura."

"Tenten, my pride can't allow it…" She gave a slight smile as she fixed her skirt and folded her legs to her right side.

"When was the last time you cried, actually?"

She laughed. "Last night."

"I bet that was when everyone had gone to bed already…"

"Of course. No one sees me cry." She gave her friend a bright smile.

Tenten knew that it was time to change topic. Besides, she hated dwelling on the fact that Sakura hated her life and that no matter how much she pushes; Sakura would always result to acting. Acting like she was okay…acting as if nothing bothered her.

"Alright, fine. Anyway, I found this gossip article awhile ago." Tenten handed her a magazine. "It's about the ruling families again."

Konoha is known for its five ruling families. There is a president governing the country, and the five families are like aristocrats of this modern world. Everyone knows this, right?

Anyway, the five ruling families are: Uchiha, Yamanaka, Hyuuga, Haruno, and Subaku.

It's known that the Uchiha family has two heirs: Itachi and Sasuke. Yes, those calm, collected, and hot brothers. They help keep their family's popularity up, that's for sure. Another nice part about them is that they're both single.

Next is the Hyuuga family with one direct heir: Neji. He has this reputation of being a great manager of their business. He also has a caring side towards his friends and family members but indifferent to other people. Amazing, isn't it?

The Subaku family has two heirs: Gaara and Kankuro and one heiress: Temari. It's known that these three are quite close to one another. I don't think they've had a single fight for years now.

Next is the Yamanakas. They have one heiress: Ino. She's quite a looker. Many say she's perfect for either of the Uchiha heirs. Nothing is said about how she helps in their business though.

Last is the Haruno family. It is said that they have an heiress but other than that, no one knows anything about her. She hasn't been publicly revealed yet. It's probably for keeping suitors at bay. Is she really that beautiful?

The Yamanakas are really close to the Harunos and there is a possibility that Ino is friends with Haruno's heiress but they haven't said anything about it yet.

Sakura didn't read the rest. She was too tired of being talked about even if people didn't really know that it was her.

"When are you planning to make your 'public revelation'?"

"Not anytime soon, I hope." Sakura leaned against the wall behind her. She kept her hands on her lap, maintaining her slightly ladylike posture.

Tenten was relieved that no one was with them in the roof. They could talk about anything they wanted with no one knowing about it. She was her friend and she promised to help Sakura keep her identity secret from the school's students. "How's your dad?"

She heard Sakura groan. "The same. He's still annoyed at my grades last school year…"

"What does he want this school year, then?"

"Top everything, according to HIS standards."

"Meaning you have to have more than at least three points from the second in ranking? Can you do that? I mean, Sasuke Uchiha doesn't just let people off."

"Yes. No. I know," she said in response to all of her statements.

"He's still not satisfied that you got an average of 98 last year?"

"No because Sasuke got 97. It's either Sasuke pulls his average down to 94 – which is impossible – or I pull my average up to 101, which is impossible as well." She sighed and closed her eyes. She hated the expectations given to her but she really had no choice but to follow them. _'Speaking of expectations, I still have my Etiquette Lessons later again…'_

* * *

"Who is Sakura, anyway?"

"You can't be serious. You don't know the girl who tops everything in our batch? The reason why you're always second? Probably the only girl with NATURAL pink hair?" Neji, who is usually calm, was completely caught off-guard by the question.

"That's her? But they said she's an outcast."

"She is, together with that friend of hers."

"She didn't feel like that of an outcast."

"Have you been asleep these two years, Sasuke? Even Naruto knows who Sakura is and why he should avoid her."

"Yeah!" Naruto was completely unaware that it was somehow a form of insult.

Neji sighed. Being unmindful was cureless. "Anyway, Sakura is nothing but a locked door with absolutely no key. Why are you asking about her?"

"She did something that intrigued me."

"What? She ignored you or something?"

"That's it."

"Sakura ignores…practically much everyone. Troublesome." Shikamaru gave a bored shrug.

"Doesn't she know me?"

"Don't get your pride all wounded, Uchiha. Of course she knows you. She just doesn't care."

Hinata nodded with what Neji said. "I became her partner last year in our project and, well, she made sure that we only talked about the project. She said nothing and looked annoyed if we went beyond it."

"But Hinata's a Hyuuga."

"I told you. She. Doesn't. Care."

"I want to know what's behind it all."

Neji slapped his hand to his forehead. "Does your pride know no bounds, Uchiha?"

"I am an Uchiha, Hyuuga. Of course my pride knows no bounds."

"You'll end up with your pride hurt and your ego shattered, I am telling you."

He smirked. "We'll see."

* * *

Right after school; Sakura changed into a semi-formal dress for her Etiquette Lessons, which was what she had now.

"Yes! That is excellent, Ms. Haruno." Her Etiquette Teacher clapped.

"Thank you, miss." She gave a curtsy.

"What about you, Ms. Yamanaka? Please demonstrate to me how a lady sits."

Ino sat on a chair with her hands on her lap, her knees together, her back straight, and a smile on her face.

"Perfect!"

'_I hate these lessons…It's amazing how Ino seems to like this. Then again, Ino does like the life of luxury and stuff…of course she likes this…'_

Sakura did everything that was asked of her flawlessly as the lessons continued for another three hours. She looked natural, as if she was having such an easy time doing everything, but it was all because of what Tenten dubbed as 'her long-ago developed skill' – acting.

She was able to act as if she was enjoying herself, even if she wasn't. She was able to give a smile even if she was sad and wanted to burst into tears. She was able to dance gracefully and do everything with poise even if she was feeling weak and queasy.

'_I can do anything that they expect me to do…even if I myself don't like it…'_ She smiled to herself. That was what composed her life, after all. Be what they want you to be. She gave up on her own hopes and dreams in ancient history. They were not needed.

* * *

Right after Etiquette Lessons; she changed into a business suit and headed to their company's main office to work for upcoming deadlines, meetings, and various business negotiations.

"Ma'am, these are the documents that are needed for tomorrow's meeting," said Kamiko, placing some folders on the side of Sakura's desk.

Kamiko had been Sakura's personal assistant and bodyguard for the last two years. She had long blue hair and lavender eyes. She was a nice young woman who was dedicated to her work for the Haruno family.

"Thank you, Kamiko." _'I guess I could go home early tonight…'_

After checking all the documents; Sakura closed her office and went back home with Kamiko.

"I'm skipping dinner. I'm not hungry. Good night," she said and went straight to her room.

She dialed the number Krisppina gave her. Their countries' timelines were different so it was still morning there.

"Hello?" It was a man's voice.

She took a deep breath. "Good morning, sir. I'm Sakura, one of Krisppina's friends…Sir…I just…I want to…I am very sorry…for your loss." She did her best to sound neutral but nothing of the sort happened. Her voice was hoarse and pain was evident.

"Oh, is that so?" The man's voice was laced with pain as well.

"Yes. A-anyway, sir, thank you for your time." She ended the call and dashed to her vanity.

'_You couldn't even stop her from killing herself…You're a bitch, Sakura. You're one big bitch.'_

She felt her eyes start to water. _'Shit.'_ She went to her door and locked it.

She then went to her bathroom and turned on the shower, soaking her suit.

'_She didn't even give me a warning…'_ She let her tears fall freely. No one was there anyway.

'_I should have known that this was bound to happen…She had been so depressed recently…'_ She discarded her clothes and tossed them in the clothes' bin.

She took a quick bath, all the while crying. She changed into a sleeveless dress and went out to her balcony.

Her bare feet became numb against the cold floor and her hands froze as she held the metal railing. _'If my etiquette teacher saw me now, she'd blow her head off.'_

She frowned. Even the thought of her etiquette teacher's head blowing off didn't make her feel at ease.

She let go of the railing and twirled twice. The cold night wind made her numb even more. The events that happened that day flashed through her mind like a bullet.

She wore her school uniform and went to school to study and be serious. After that she wore a dress for her Etiquette Lessons and learned the ways of a lady. Then she dressed into a business suit to work for their family's company.

Only deep in the night can she be what she wanted. It was the only time that she was allowed to let her heart roam and her dream as a writer be fulfilled – when everyone was asleep.

Everything she did in front of other people was, more or less, prearranged…probably even before she was born.

'_In the night no one can tell me, 'That is not ladylike,' or, 'That is improper,' or, 'Our profits won't go up because of useless things like that.' '_

She frowned even more. Krisppina was one of the very few who knew and accepted her as a whole. She never heard her telling her that she wasn't ladylike or that she would be a disgrace to the family and stuff like that. Now she was gone.

'_I don't think I can write tonight…'_ She sighed. Krisppina always helped her whenever she wrote.

* * *

I'm really sorry, Sakura. I just couldn't wait any longer. I'm pursuing my plan to finally rest. My neck seemed to be really eager to get stabbed.

It was really great having a friend like you. You always helped me cheer up. But, I really can't take much more. Life isn't really on good terms with me.

P.S. Don't you dare do the same thing if you haven't accomplished any of your OWN dreams.

Much love, Krisppina

* * *

"Gather any kind of information that you can on a girl named Sakura in our batch. I want them as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha. Right away."

**

* * *

**

AN:

It's quite weird, I know but this chapter's focus is to simply portray what Sakura's life is like on a daily basis, as well as the effect of having one of her friends commit suicide.

Okay, so, what do you think? Please let me know. *smiles*


	3. Sasuke's Intentions

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** To those who were waiting for this update, I am so sorry it took so long. I'm not going to lie to you…I had major writer's block issues. Nothing really came out of my wrecked brain. I'm sorry.

So, now, I hope you'd like this chapter. I completely squashed my brain just to get this out. *smiles*

* * *

**Chapter 2: Sasuke's Intentions**

"What kind of data is this?" Sasuke looked at the file disbelievingly.

Name: Sakura

Sex: Female

Birthday: ----

Age: 16

Address: confidential

Contact number: none

Name of father: confidential

Birthday: N/A

Contact number: N/A

Occupation: N/A

Name of mother: confidential

Birthday: N/A

Contact number: N/A

Occupation: N/A

"That is an exact copy of the information that she gave the school, sir."

"How and why did the school accept this kind of information sheet? For all we know, she could be a mass murderer – the reason why she didn't fill this in completely."

The man just shrugged.

"Try to look for other information on her. I'll see what I can do as well."

* * *

Squeals, screams, and blushing girls crowded the halls as Sasuke passed by. As usual, the Uchiha heir ignored them all.

He proceeded to his classroom and approached the loners of the school who were talking quietly in their desks.

"Excuse me."

Tenten raised her head to look at the owner of the voice. "What?"

"I need to talk to Sakura."

Said girl looked at Sasuke, saw his usual smirk, then continued to talk to Tenten about their recent lesson.

Sasuke's eye twitched. Was he just ignored…again? By the SAME girl? _'All the more interesting…I never knew loners were also the type to play 'hard to get'.'_

He wanted her to drop the act even more. He wanted to see what she will do once she has surrendered. He wanted to see her under the mask. He wanted her to do all that…because he hated the way she was now. _'I'll have to educate this woman.'_

* * *

"What's up with that this morning? Did you piss him off?"

"I don't know neither do I care, Tenten."

It was lunch and they were on the rooftop as accustomed. It was where they hung out since rarely anyone went up there.

"He might find out your secret if he continues to pursue you. He might have the means."

"I'm aware but I don't think he'd push too much. Besides, all data about me is hidden deep in the Haruno mansion. No Uchiha could get there."

"I guess."

"But I can't be too sure…" she muttered. _'He's still an Uchiha…I can't ignore that fact. He may pay someone to follow me home and…'_ "Oh, shit."

Now she had to watch her back at all times. Just great.

* * *

It was dismissal time. Sakura knew she was being watched, just like what she expected. She went to the rooftop.

Her cell phone rang twice. "Hello?"

"Miss Haruno, where are you? You are not at the gate." It was Kamiko.

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit held up here. SWM. Could you come and pick me up at the rooftop?"

Kamiko suddenly got worried. 'SWM' meant 'Someone's watching me'. "I-I'll get there as fast as I can. Please be safe, Miss Haruno."

"I'm not in any danger, Kamiko. Maybe just the secret I'm keeping." She muttered the last part so that the person watching her didn't hear.

"Right, Miss Haruno." The call ended.

The sudden gust of wind made her shiver slightly. _'Those pair of eyes is making me restless.'_

She used her peripheral vision to try and see who was stalking her. Only Tenten and Kamiko knew about this fact; but, she secretly trained her body to do self-defense and assess any given situation. It proved to be of some use now. She saw onyx eyes. _'Uchiha.'_

The sound of a door being harshly opened sounded on the rooftop. "Miss Sakura."

She heaved a sigh of relief. Despite Kamiko being in a state of distress, she was still able to keep in mind not to mention her surname. "Oh, good timing. Let's go."

Kamiko easily spotted Sakura's stalker as well but nothing was said as they went to the car.

* * *

"That was Sasuke Uchiha, was it not, Miss Haruno?" asked Kamiko, as the car sped to the studio where her Etiquette Lessons were held, while Sakura changed into a dress at the back.

"There, done. And, yes, Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura brushed her disarrayed hair after all the hassle of changing in the speeding car.

"Why is he after you?"

"I have no idea, honestly. It was out of the blue." She shrugged. "I'm sure he'll stop soon. It's not like I'm entertaining any of his questions nor actions."

"Please make sure of that fact, Miss Haruno." She stepped out of the car while the driver opened Sakura's door and the heiress went out as well.

"No sweat, Kamiko." She proceeded to her Etiquette Lessons.

"Today would be the last course of your lessons so please listen well. Tomorrow would be an entire run through of what you have learned and then, you two are all set to face everyone in the upcoming revelation party."

Sakura and Ino looked at each other and smiled. Finishing Etiquette Lessons would be like a dream come true.

"Let us begin. Now you would learn how to walk down the stairs in a long gown."

Ino slightly raised her hand. "There is a difference with simply walking down the stairs?"

"Yes, Ms. Yamanaka, the attire."

Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. Walking down the stairs and walking down the stairs in a long gown had that much of a major difference? She saw Ino nodding and taking in all the information that the teacher was saying. She sighed. _'Am I the only one who doesn't appreciate this life?'_

"Did you two remember all of what I have just mentioned?"

Ino nodded again while Sakura said a quick "Yes."

"Very good. Let us begin."

So when they walked out from the dressing room, wearing simple long gowns, they went to the top of a nearby staircase for a demo. Their teacher first went down, perfectly showing what she had said awhile ago.

Sakura sighed. _'Shoulders back, chest out, stomach in, raise the gown slightly above the ankles, hold the railing lightly with your fingertips, do not apply too much pressure on your feet, look down slightly but not too much, and maintain your rhythm.' _She ran over the information that she knew.

Next was Ino who went down with an air of grace and confidence around her. Sakura mentally slapped herself. She would never have that kind of air around her. Though, luckily, she had her acting skill to make people believe that she had it.

She walked down, with her act entirely together. She was able to perfectly portray a sophisticated lady and her teacher beamed at this while Ino clapped her hands.

"Absolutely perfect, Miss Haruno."

"You are amazing, Sakura. You were born to be a lady!"

Sakura smiled. _'Actually, Ino, I was born to be an actress, not a lady.'_

* * *

She went straight to work after the lessons were over.

"The meeting awhile ago was a success, Miss Haruno, thanks to the documents you have prepared and sorted."

"Really? That's a surprise." She completely waved the praise off. "Anyway, Kamiko, these need to be filed. Thank you." She gave a handful of folders to her.

"Yes, Miss Haruno."

She paid no heed to any of the praises given to her and quickly dismissed them. She believed that there was absolutely no way people could give out a heartfelt praise. _'Instead of getting hurt after finding out the praise was a lie, I'd rather not believe at all.'_

The phone in her office rang. She saw Kamiko still busy with filing so she picked it up. "Haruno Company." She quickly thought of a pseudonym. "This is Sachiko speaking."

The caller was puzzled. "Huh? Kamiko got fired?"

'_Nosy caller.' _"Ah, no, ma'am. She's currently filing. I'm temporarily filling-in for her."

"Very well. I'm calling for X* Company to confirm if the meeting with your president is okay for tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am. The meeting is at 10am."

"Oh, good. Bye." She put the phone down.

"So informal…and nosy."

"I'm sorry you had to answer the phone, Miss Haruno."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm just glad I was able to hold on to the phone." She laughed.

* * *

After dinner she went to her room and locked the door. She took a quick bath and changed into a long night gown.

She then sat on her desk, brought out her things from school, and started to do her homework.

'_Quantum Numbers as the first lesson in Chemistry? This is giving me a headache.'_

She continued to do her homework and did her best to stay awake while she did advance reading in different subjects. _'I must study this now so that I won't have to worry about it later.'_

When she was done with everything, as well as fixing her bag for the next day, she opened a plastic container that had various medicines in it. She took one painkiller and went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

She gulped the medicine and water down. _'I wonder if I can write tonight…'_

"Miss Haruno?"

"Hey, Kamiko."

"You were not in your room so I came to check on you…" She spotted the glass in her hand.

"I was just about to go to sleep. I came down for a glass of water." _'A complete lie but who would know, anyway.'_

"Shall I accompany you when you go to your room?"

"Yes, please." She discarded the glass on the sink and went to her room.

"Have a good night's rest, Miss Haruno."

"You too, Kamiko. Sleep well." She closed and locked her door.

She opened her laptop and typed up a poem. _'This is the only thing I could produce now…My mind's a wreck and my heart is dead. I think it went with Krisppina to her grave.'_

She turned the laptop off after and went to lie on her bed. Sasuke Uchiha's face flashed through her mind and annoyance washed over her.

"What the hell does he want, anyway? Why can't he just back off? I didn't do anything to him."

She ruffled her hair and sat up straight. _'I shouldn't worry myself over something so trivial.'_

She bit her bottom lip. _'I want to run.'_

She wore a jacket over her night gown, wore her running shoes, and snapped her watch to her wrist. She went out to her balcony and sat on the railing. As dangerous as it was, since she was on the third floor of the mansion, she didn't care.

She grabbed on the branch of a nearby tree and slid on top of the bark's center. _'So far, so good.'_ She looked around for any guards that may be roaming in the mansion's proximities.

'_Hmm…It's 11pm. This is the east wing. Someone should be roaming here right now.'_ As if by chance, said guard walked past the tree from where she was sitting and hiding. _'Good. Now all I have to do is run to the south wing without getting spotted then I can start running to the park.'_

She smiled. It was easier now since she had longer legs, compared to when she was younger. Without further setbacks; she dashed to the south wing, carefully avoiding all the cameras and guards, and went up to the top and out of the gate. _'The gate at the south wing is a little bit lower than the other gates. It's still a bother to climb but easier compared to the others.'_

She heaved a deep breath. The park was just around the corner and she could easily walk there. It was rather large and she timed her runs there.

She tightened her shoelaces when she got there and started running. Due to her concentration on becoming faster, she didn't really pay attention to the car that passed by, nor the guy that went out of it.

'_What is she doing here at this hour?'_ Sasuke went behind a tree where he will absolutely not be seen by Sakura.

She stopped after two laps. She checked her watch. _'I'm faster by…2 seconds. What?!'_ "I still have to improve."

She loved to run, to write, and to dream. _'A girl like me can only do things like this at night. So I must do these to the fullest…as much as I can.'_

Sasuke was confused. _'What is that girl doing?'_ He still hasn't found out much about her so he decided to stay awhile and see where she will go.

She started another round. She bit her lip and ignored the freezing atmosphere around her. After all, she was wearing just her night gown and a jacket. After the two laps, she glanced at her watch. _'I guess I could say it's still the same? I'm not sure. I should've brought my stopwatch.'_

She went to sit on a nearby bench. She looked up at the night sky. _'Even after two rounds, I still haven't found my will to write. Why did she have to kill herself anyway?'_

She started another round of two laps. _'I…am an idiot. I know I am.' _She still cannot accept the fact that her friend died and constantly battered herself with endless insults. _'It was the second day of school today and I can't concentrate! Then, now…'_

She sat on the bench again and sighed. "How long are you going to stay there, Uchiha?"

He stepped out from the tree with a smirk. "Tch. How'd you find out?"

"Peripherals."

"What? Didn't catch that."

"You don't need to."

He walked to the bench she was sitting on.

"Don't even think of sitting beside me."

"You own the park now?"

'_Might as well should.'_ "No but I got here first. Common courtesy states that you find another bench to sit on."

"You have the guts to say that to an Uchiha?"

"Yeah, maybe I do." _'I'm a Haruno. It doesn't matter if you're an Uchiha.'_ "Why? Not used to being turned down?"

A slight twitching of his eyebrow was her answer.

"Hmm…" She walked over to him and patted his shoulder twice. "There's a first for everything, right?"

He removed her hand from his shoulder and held it tight. "Then maybe I'll be the first to break that mask of yours? And figure what game you're playing?"

She forcefully wrenched her hand out of his grasp. "No, sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why are you so defensive, then?"

"I am not. I just don't like the fact that you held my hand." She rubbed the hand that he held, as if trying to remove anything that might've been stuck there.

"First man to hold it?"

"Actually, no. And you're not the first jerk to hold it, either."

"You've been held by other guys?" He acted surprised to try and trigger her emotions.

She smiled. "Surprising, isn't it?"

'_I can't say I expected that kind of response.'_ "Yeah, especially for a girl with pink hair. Is that even natural?" He tried another kind of strategy: annoy her until she breaks.

"Flash news; it's natural. I'm not one to look at myself in the mirror and see if there's anything I want to change about myself."

He placed his thumb on her cheek and stroked it a bit. "This isn't make-up?"

"No. And will you please stop touching me?" She waved his thumb off.

"Usually a girl would blush when near me, or in contact with me, or in this cold weather. You have avoided doing so even after being in a state where all three circumstances are involved."

"I don't blush. Too bad for you." She rolled her eyes.

"Tough."

"Whatever. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have to do my rounds." She ran two laps again.

Sasuke sat down and watched her. "Why are you doing this with so much perseverance? Is there an upcoming contest? I heard you hated to lose."

"None of your business. If you're bored then go away."

"Whatever, whatever." He made no motion to leave.

She started to do four laps per round, instead of two.

He looked more intensely at what she was wearing. _'A jacket, a dress, rubber shoes. Wait…' _"Is that a night gown?" He hadn't really noticed that he said that out loud until she abruptly stopped running.

"Is it that obvious?"

"My mother wears almost the same quality. It made me wonder." He tried to piece everything together. "Late in the night…fine quality night gown…"

Sakura started to look for routes to take to go back to the mansion.

"Are you some rich girl who escaped late in the night?"

She laughed. "Why would some rich girl escape just to run around the park late at night? Isn't she afraid of getting bags under her eyes the next morning?"

'_I thought I had her there already. Just who is she?'_

While he sat there pondering over things, she smiled then secretly left the park.

'_I must go back before that jerk catches up.'_ She quickly ran to the south gate and, applying the method she used earlier, went back in.

By the time Sasuke found out that he was alone, Sakura had already entered her room and not a single person in the mansion noticed that she even left. _'Sneaky bitch.'_

"Finally lost him. But, then, I wasn't able to do much about my runs." She took off her jacket, watch, and shoes and went to bed.

'_Damn. I will know your secret, Sakura. Wait. Just wait.'_

* * *

*X Company – I can't think of a company's name. Haha.

**AN:** I tried so hard to make this chapter Sasuke-centered but I had a tough time portraying the egotistic character of his so I just included Sakura here again…I hope it was okay.

What do you think about it? Please let me know. :D


	4. Methods

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** Thank you for those who reviewed. I really and truly appreciated them. And, yes, I'm a bit slow in updating…I'm really sorry. I enter into writer's block often.

I hope that this chapter won't be a disappointment to you guys. It was a bit rushed. Sorry. Nonetheless, I really do hope you enjoy. :D

* * *

**Chapter 3: Methods**

Sasuke again looked at Sakura's information sheet. _'What makes a girl like you tick?'_

He met lots of girls already and none of them seemed to be like a challenge. Maybe except for others who _pretended_ to be a challenge; however, that was different from this…wasn't it? Wait, those girls jumped when money was involved, so…

'_Money! That's it!'_

* * *

Method 1: Bribery

"Here's a blank check. Write any amount you like." He handed her the check, already with his signature.

"What's this about? What do you want in exchange?" _'You fucking bastard. You better have an acceptable reason for this.'_

"Date me. For one month. That's all." _'Oh, I will definitely see you break now…'_

She was highly insulted and she hated that feeling. _'You'll pay.'_ She gave him a sweet smile, which made Sasuke smirk, and said, "I don't know what I did to deserve this………"

'_This is too easy, after all…'_

"…this…insult. You have insulted my being, Uchiha. Do I look like some slut who you could just pick up with money?" She was surprised at the calmness that her voice possessed.

She ripped the check apart and left him to his own musings.

'_I should've squeezed his balls while I had the chance.'_

'_Okay, so maybe money isn't an issue for her…'_

* * *

Method 2: Flattery

"I saw you play awhile ago. You were great."

Sakura just came out of the gym after playing basketball.

"Thanks." _'Sudden change of attitude, much?'_

"Hey, want to grab some lunch with me?" He quickly added, "To reward you for your performance?"

"One: I eat packed lunch. Two: I always eat with Tenten. Three: I'm definitely not willing to change that. Four: I don't need nor want a 'reward' from you, of all people." She smiled and left.

Another minus on his ego points.

* * *

Method 3: Jealousy

Sasuke made it a point to always grab a girl and flirt with her whenever Sakura walked by.

'_Maybe this'll get her to do something.'_

"Is it just me or is Sasuke being…social?"

"Why should we care?"

Tenten shrugged. "I don't. 'It's just not normal for him.' That's what I heard from some gossiping girls around the hall. He doesn't go around and suddenly, as in out of the blue, change."

Sakura made no motion to continue the conversation anymore.

"Hey, Sakura." He had a giggling girl wrapped in his arm.

"Do you need something? I'm busy." She raised her phone to his face and went back to talking.

Okay. Not effective either.

* * *

Method 4: Being 'Humble'

"Err, hi Sakura. Could you help me with our new lesson in Chemistry? I'm having a little problem with it."

She laughed. "You? A problem with Chemistry?" She snapped her fingers twice right on the bridge of his nose. "Don't give me shit, Uchiha." She was starting to get really pissed with him.

Cross that out on the list.

* * *

"What the hell is his problem? He's getting on my nerves!" She was writing a report furiously with a pen, letting off some steam while she's at it.

Annoyance. That was what Uchiha was. He's been doing pretty random stuff over the past couple of weeks and she hated it. If he was going to do something random, it was his problem, not hers. Why's he going around greeting her while doing something different every time?

She heard a knock on her door. "Come in."

"Miss Haruno, your father wants to speak to you in his office right now."

"Oh, thanks Kamiko." She stood and immediately walked to the direction of her father's office, right down the hall from her room.

She knocked twice on the thick wooden door, but not before fixing her dress first.

"Enter."

She took a deep breath and entered with the best neutral face she could manage. "You called for me, father?"

Mr. Haruno's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, which made Sakura want to roll her eyes. He was obviously inspecting if she was a worthy heiress or not. He'd done it many times and she stopped caring about what he thought long ago. "I heard from your teacher that you are done with your lessons."

No reaction from her.

"She also said that you have done an excellent job and are ready for the ball." He smiled at her.

She wanted to puke. _'If he thinks that a smile could make me a happy daughter then he has another thing coming.'_ She knew that her father's smile was not because he was happy for her. He was happy of the fact that she would be able to be revealed without tarnishing the family name. It was all about the family name, the family's reputation, her father's happiness.

"I would just notify you about it when arrangements have been made."

She hated the word 'arrangements' and how it went out of her father's mouth. The revelation party was not only a showing off of how the Haruno heiress acts like the perfect lady. It would also have lots of bachelors from different families and there's always this possibility that her father would try to set her up with one of them.

Mr. Haruno; after receiving nothing, not a word nor a change in her face, said, "That is all. You may leave." Since when had he been formal with her? No, actually, since when had he last talked to her in a non-business like manner in the first place?

"Thank you, sir. Good night." She gave a slight curtsy and left the room.

Her father looked at the spot where she previously stood. She called him 'father' moments ago. Now it was 'sir'?

* * *

Method 5: Gift-giving

Sakura arrived with a present laid on her table. The card read: Sakura, this is the start of me giving you peace offerings until you forgive me for my attitude. –Sasuke

She turned the card over a reattached it on the box. She didn't even open the gift. She wrote: I hope that this would be the last stunt you're going to pull, Uchiha. Or else, I would definitely make up a scene that the students here would NEVER forget.

When Sasuke was able to read the note, his body seemed to have been stuck in his chair. Though the threat was from a person like her, someone who was much lower than him, he would definitely hate it if she pushed through with her threat. Anyone dirtying his family name in school would cause a total uproar.

It was time to stop, he decided. He'd get to her, in other ways. Sooner or later. He smirked. This wasn't over yet.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so Sasuke still isn't giving up. Haha.

Though I update slow, I promise that I would finish this…one way or another. Haha.

Please bear with me and my slow brain.

Oh, and please let me know what you think a out this chapter. Thanks a lot. :D


	5. Trip of Lies

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** I don't know if this chapter would be very random and stuff but I felt like I had to put it in…Haha.

I hope you enjoy. :D

* * *

**Chapter 4: One-week trip of lies**

Kurenai entered the room with a small stack of papers in her hand. After having their usual "Good morning," she made them sit and distributed the papers.

"This is a letter regarding an upcoming trip organized by the school. It will be for seven days and its main goal is to strengthen your bond with one another and with nature. The place is near a beach and a forest. Feel free to explore because we're going to need outputs after."

"We won't be supervised?" asked a student.

"Technically, no. We won't be watching you like hawks throughout the trip; you're old enough for that. But we will be there, in case you need any assistance. Feel free to do anything you like, as long as it's nothing uncalled for. The rest of any needed information, such as food and rooms, are in the letter."

* * *

"Sakura, want to be room mates?"

"Do you still have to ask that?" She laughed.

"But the letter says: 'Four people per room. No more, no less.' What are we going to do about that?"

Sakura shrugged as she sat on the floor. "It doesn't matter who we room with, right? I think the people who are going to end up with us are going to mind, but not us."

"I suppose."

"But, honestly, 7 days for a school trip? Since when was that possible?"

"I've heard that some rich group of guys volunteered to shoulder majority of the expenses."

"Why would they do that?"

"I think they own the place."

"It's like an advertisement of some sort?"

"Yep."

"Well, my only problem now would be the work load I'm going to be having soon if I want to have a problem-free week. The letter says no technology of all sorts allowed. My father's probably going to crack."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks for the oodles of support." Her voice was oozing with sarcasm.

Tenten just laughed.

* * *

"I see. You will be gone for a week."

"Yes, sir." It was official. She wasn't calling him 'father' anymore. _'Never would I go back to those other days…'_ She used to call him 'dada' as a baby. As a child, she called him 'daddy'. It changed to 'dad' in her pre-adolescent years. And then it changed to 'father' from her adolescent years up to only recently. Now she was calling him 'sir'.

"What about your work?"

Sooner or later, it would change to 'Mr. Haruno' if this went on. It would be as if they were superior and subordinate, not father and daughter. "I would finish all of them before I go to the trip…so that my absence would not be a burden to any of you."

"Very well. Make sure of that. You may leave."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

By the next few days; Sakura made sure that when she went on that trip, her father wouldn't be sending Kamiko over just to make her finish a document or something.

She barely had any sleep. Her eyes had more bags under them but she acted as if everything was normal, especially in school. She can't afford more rumors spreading around about her.

"You look like shit. What's happening?" was how Tenten greeted her the day before the trip.

"Is it obvious?"

"With the way you act, of course not. But it's obvious to me. You look like living hell."

Okay. Awhile ago she looked like 'shit' now she looked like 'living hell'. Maybe it was Tenten who needed sleep. "It doesn't matter," it seemed like that was her favorite line nowadays, "I'd catch up on sleep there."

"Alright then, next topic, the two other people who are rooming with us."

"Why? What about it?"

"Well, I submitted both our names right?"

"To indicate that we're room mates, yes."

"There was a group who submitted a list with six names in it. Obviously, two were forced to join us."

"Who are they?" She had a 'get it over with' look.

"Oh, come on, you're not even letting me give you the element of surprise!"

She playfully rolled her eyes. As if. Tenten knew her better than anyone in the school.

"Neji Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Great. The two largest egos in the school. I actually thought I'd have a pleasant week…"

"Me too. But anyway, we're not exactly required to talk to them so it's fine, I guess."

"Right," she said, but doubt was still in her mind. Anything could happen with those two around.

* * *

The students settled in their respective rooms immediately. Everyone was excited to go around and explore the place. Well, except for a certain pink-haired girl who, after dropping her belongings on the floor, went on the nearest bed and slept.

Her actions were not left unnoticed by her room mates.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Neji. It wasn't out of concern, more like out of annoyance.

Tenten wanted to kick his ass right then and there. "None of your business. Look, just get the two beds over there and I'll take the bed beside this one," she said, patting Sakura's bed.

"Whatever."

Three hours after, Sakura woke up. She slowly sat up, and held her head with her hand. Her head was aching. "I think I overslept," she managed to mumble. Her body wasn't used to more than five hours of sleep. She already slept three hours on the way there, and then slept another three once they've arrived. Surely her head would be aching.

"Overslept? You barely had sleep for the past days! I say you sleep a bit more," said Tenten, coming from the direction of the bathroom, obviously just finished with a bath.

"You've got to be kidding," she said with a groan, "My body isn't used to too much sleep." She groggily stood. "I'd better take a bath too."

"Yeah, sure. There are four large cubicles in there. Just look for the one with your belongings in it."

She gave her a questioning look.

"I brought out your toiletries when you were asleep. It was very easy to find. Your things were so organized."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

When Sakura was inside the bathroom, Tenten quickly sent a glare to the two men lazing around. "Aren't you guys going to join the others in exploring or something?"

"No." Neji didn't even bother lifting his head.

"Why should I?" Sasuke smirked.

"Whatever." She went to her bed and started fixing her things.

Sasuke slightly turned his head to the direction of the bathroom. _' 'My body isn't used to too much sleep.' Three hours was already 'too much sleep'? What does she do anyway? Study herself to death?'_

* * *

Dinner time came and they were asked to gather in the eating hall. Only when it was eating time were they asked to gather as a group.

Sakura and Tenten went to the spot where it would be most convenient for them, the farthest table at the back.

"You know there is a rule regarding room mates eating at the same table for easy counting." Sasuke and Neji sat across them.

"Yes, I was trying to forget that." Sakura continued to eat.

"Why did we end up with you guys, of all people?" Tenten glared at their direction.

"Shouldn't you be thankful?" Neji asked.

"No. I'd rather have two of your bitch fans as room mates than you guys."

"Really now? Is it because you're secretly one of them?" He smirked at her.

"If I was, then I would be on your lap by now, wouldn't I?"

"Maybe. But there's also always a possibility that you're waiting for me to sleep and do your deeds there."

"That's it!" She stood, in a slightly angry manner. It was only when he smirked at her again – as in straight at her face – is when she saw red.

Tenten was just about ready to strangle him when Sakura, with her usual calm demeanor, stood and held her friend's arms. She slowly and silently led her away out of the eating hall. _'Good thing no one noticed what just happened.'_

"Tenten, breathe." They were near the beach shore.

"Sorry, I nearly lost it huh?"

"Yeah." She sat down.

She sat beside her. "Sorry…again."

"Nah, it's fine. Maybe I would've reacted the same way you did…"

"You?" She laughed. "You never lose your cool head."

"Maybe I would have awhile ago. I mean, lack of sleep then oversleeping right after is a bad combination. I may have joined you awhile ago."

"What a riot that would be!"

"Totally."

"Hey, want to go exploring tomorrow?"

"Of course. Day one is officially tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah. Our classmates were too excited to get going."

"Mm." She laid down on the sand and looked up the stars. "Wow! So many!" She sounded like a child who just received a new piece of candy.

Tenten looked up as well. "Yeah."

"I rarely see this many stars back home."

'…_Because you're just too busy with your problems…'_

* * *

Before the crack of dawn, Sakura got up and took a bath. She really didn't know why but she seemed to have developed an innate instinct that the moment she woke up in the morning, she instantly headed for the bathroom.

She went out of the room after dressing. For very obvious reasons, none of her classmates were awake at that moment. She stretched a bit and a slight smile appeared on her face.

She could do whatever she wanted for a whole week. No father, no work, no father, no lessons to study, no father, no out-of-this-world restrictions, no father, no worrying about the party, no father…and most of all, no father.

She stretched a bit and gazed at the beach. Sure it would be hard to run on sand but she had to vent her emotions on something, right? She was happy, for crying out loud, it was probably the first in years.

She started down the shore and ran, the very early morning air made her even happier.

As fate would have had it; it was then that Sasuke woke up and went out of the room, curious as to where Sakura was. _'She isn't anywhere in there.'_

He spotted something pink pass by his line of vision. _'Honestly, she isn't very hard to find.'_

He looked at her face as she ran. Was that…a smile? He could tell it was a genuine one. She somehow gave out the impression that she was cold and heartless, and yet now she was genuinely smiling? What made her smile all of a sudden? And, what was the deal with her sleeping issues? Did that girl Tenten know everything about her? If so, could he ask her instead of asking Sakura directly?

The questions still continued to flood his mind when Tenten went out and walked to Sakura's direction, completely not caring that Sasuke was there.

He remembered what had transpired the night before between her and Neji. _'Okay, so maybe asking Tenten wouldn't be a good idea.' _He began to come up with different ways to know Sakura during the trip, as if he didn't fail in doing that last time.

* * *

Later that same night, Sasuke woke up because of a vibration coming from his pocket. He reached for his phone and picked it up. "Talk."

"Hey, how's my baby brother doin'?"

He groaned. It was his older brother, Itachi. "You woke me up in the middle of the night, bastard. How do you think I'm doing?"

Itachi just laughed, obviously wanting him to get mad.

"We'll talk when I get back, damn you." He put the phone down. _'Great. Now I'm fully awake…'_

He glanced around the dark room and found one bed without an occupant. Sakura.

He checked the bathroom and she wasn't there.

He went out of the room. _'I'm awake anyway…Might as well try to find answers.'_

He found her on the beach again, lying on her back and staring at the sky. He slowly approached her.

"You know, the park where you were running is perfect for stargazing. Isn't that enough?"

She didn't even take her eyes off the sky. "No. I don't go to the park for stargazing. Like what you just said, I was running, right? So I go to the park to run, not to stargaze."

"Why do you run in the park? And so late at night too?"

She heaved a heavy breath. "To forget that I have such an annoying classmate such as yourself."

Sasuke noted how her chest rose and fell as she breathed. "Or is it to forget that you have an undying love for me but you know that it will never be returned?"

"No. Now stop bothering me, will you?"

He said nothing but remained in his spot. He didn't know why he was so curious as to what went on with her. _'She's a girl, for crying out loud. She might just be luring me into one of her traps.'_ But that still didn't stop him from trying to know who she really was. It's not like he's going to be falling in love or something, anyway.

Sakura seemed to have sensed that he wouldn't leave unless she tried to say something. "Hey, Uchiha, what's it like to be the center of attention all the time?" She wanted to know his perspective about it.

"I don't know. It's alright. I don't mind. I've been in this life ever since so I've been used to it." He might as well be honest with his answer.

"Oh." _'I didn't think he'd put it that way.'_

"How about you?" He sat down beside where she was lying. "What's it like living your life?" If she could ask questions, so could he.

"It's okay, more or less. My life isn't very unique. You know, just the usual student aiming for the top."

"But you're already at the top. Why push so hard too much?"

"Let's say I don't want to be knocked off the top." She was ready for answers…answers that were more or less true but still revealed nothing about who she really was.

"No one's going to do that. No one is capable of doing that."

"Really now?" She momentarily glanced up at him before directing her gaze back to the sky. "I find that hard to believe."

"Maybe our grades are close but with your stats, I could never catch up. Besides, I'm not aiming for the top. I got where I am due to…luck, I suppose."

Her ears shot at what he said. "Luck? Luck?! You are a hair's width of a distance from me in grades and it was because of luck?!" She remembered the nights she spent working and studying her ass off just to meet a deadline and to prepare herself for an upcoming quiz. All of those nights.

"Whoa. Calm down. Yeah, luck. I…rarely study. But luck seems to be on my side always."

She sighed, calming herself down in the process. "I – Sorry." It wasn't his problem if luck was on his side. "I got carried away a bit. It's not your fault that I'm stupid and I need extra effort in everything."

"What? You're not stu – "

"Forget what I said."

"Okay…"

"Anyway, it's late we'd – "

"You just want to avoid more conversation."

"Shut it."

"Come on, you're actually nice to talk to…"

"The point?"

"I still want to talk to you. Just for a little while?"

She heard, since she wasn't looking at him, the honesty in his voice. "Alright. What else do you want to talk about?" She started conceptualizing the next round of answers that she was going to give.

"What do you do in your pastime, aside from running and studying?"

Working. But she can't say that. "I read, write, and catch up on sleep. How about you?"

"TV, sleep. You don't go shopping?"

"I rarely do. How many girlfriends have you had in the past?"

"Dozens. All of them not memorable. You?"

"A total of five…all of them jerks. When was your last one?"

"A year ago. Why'd you hook up with them if they were jerks?"

Her father referred them to her and forced her into getting into a relationship. None of those guys knew she was a Haruno so they dumped her after some time. "I thought they were nice. I guess you could say I was tricked over and over again."

"Did you fall in love? I mean, really fell in love?"

"All of them started out as crushes. I only fell for two of them. Did you fall for any of your girlfriends?"

"Nope."

"Have you ever fallen in love?"

"No. How does one fall in love exactly?"

"A person just realizes it, I guess." He had no idea how much truth was in her words that night.

* * *

Three nights after, the two of them met up at the beach again. Sakura was on her back as usual.

Sasuke sat beside her once more. "Hey, Sakura, why are you and your friend outcasts?"

"Me and Tenten? Don't you see the common denominator between us? We both don't have surnames. We have no real families."

"You don't seem to be orphans to me. Especially…well, you. You give the impression of someone who is well-bred."

Of course she was 'well-bred.' "Honestly?" She slightly smiled. "It seems hard to believe."

"No, it's true. It never crossed my mind you were an outcast." Because he didn't know she even existed up until recently.

"Are you sure about that? It's not only my surname, you know. My pink hair is also another factor to consider."

"But it's natural, isn't it?"

"It is. Unnaturally natural, get it?"

"No."

"The unnatural pink color is so natural to the point that everyone just has to point it out." She closed her eyes.

"Oh. From who did you exactly inherit the trait?"

"They say it's from my great grandmother in my father's side but I couldn't really tell."

The information sank in their minds slowly.

Sakura immediately sat up. "Shit."

"So you do have a family." He didn't expect her to be so unmindful like that.

"Y-yeah." There was no point trying to hide it now. "But it's not like the 'happy family' type so it's best if we not talk about it." _'Cover it up quickly, Sakura. Damn, what a slip-up.'_

What she said irked his interest more. "Broken family?"

"No. Just not a happy one."

He felt somewhat sorry for her. His family was a happy one. He and his brother just loved annoying each other but they never fought.

"On to a lighter topic…Are you interested in knowing who the Haruno heiress is? Everyone seems so worked up about her."

"Not really. I don't actually get the whole point of the Harunos in trying to hide her for, what, 16 years? Then making her show up in front of everyone out of the blue?"

She didn't get the whole point of it either. She never asked her father about it, though. She shrugged, to get the whole 'I have no idea' act. "I don't know. Your world of riches and fame is something I am not really interested in."

She may not be interested in it but she belonged to that 'world', neither a fact that she can remove nor a fact that she can divulge to him. She just kept her mouth shut.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so this turned out longer than what I had in mind… I guess this is to make up for the long update. Haha.

I just had my exams last week. And, since it's Christmas season, I had plenty of parties to attend to. Sorry it took so long.

Anyway, please tell me what you think. Thank you. smile


	6. Preparations

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** Sorry it took so long again. My gosh, I don't know how many times I've said this to you. I'm sorry again… :(

Anyway, please enjoy!

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**Chapter 5: Preparations for hell**

Upon Sakura's return home from the trip, there were two changes that were presented to her. The first one was that Kamiko got fired and got replaced by another woman named Shizune, a black haired and thin woman in her late twenties; and the second one was the fact that her room had three clothing racks lined up, all of which contained party dresses and evening gowns alike.

She gawked at it for a moment before turning her attention to Shizune. "What exactly are these for?"

"Those were made for you, Miss Haruno. They're for the upcoming party. 'The Haruno name cannot be spoiled' was what your father said."

"All of these dresses? Impossible. I only need one dress. Well, at most two dresses, in case of anything. And, and…This is too much."

"The rest, those of which you are not going to use, will be for other affairs."

Right. She was going to be officially declared as a Haruno. She'd be invited to a lot of parties and get-togethers and random chitchats often. She sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. "So I'm expected to try all of these on? Since, well, they won't be lined up in my room like this if I wasn't."

"Yes. It's to check if the size is right. The seamstresses made slight guesses as to how much you've grown since your last dress."

"Do I have to check if the size is correct, now?"

"Yes, Miss Haruno."

Great. _'Trip's over, Sakura. Back to work.'_ "Close the door, please." Shizune did as she was told. Sakura pushed one clothing rack near her bathroom door and got a random dress. "Do you have to see how the dresses fit me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay. You could sit on my bed, or something. This would be long."

* * *

Around two hours after, they've finally cleared all of the racks. Sakura lied down on her bed, near where Shizune sat. "Done."

"It seems all of the dresses are too large for your…chest and too small for your…back side."

"I know." Sarcasm leaked out of her voice. She wasted her time trying on dresses that were not made for her. None of them were in her right size. "Could you call for the seamstresses? They should fix these soon. And, don't let my father know about this. We could settle this on our own." If her father were ever to find out; he'd give those seamstresses one hell of a time, probably to the point of giving them mental trauma.

"Yes, ma'am." She stood and left the room.

Sakura stood and eyed the dresses again. They weren't bad; she even found some of them lovely... _'It's just…these dresses would never suit me even if they were my size.'_

She was sure her pink hair would ruin everything. She rubbed her temples and sat back on her bed.

* * *

It only took a few minutes for the seamstresses to get there. They were trusted so she didn't have to hide her face as they took her measurements.

"We're truly sorry for the mistake, Ms. Haruno. We based most of our guesses on Ms. Yamanaka's measurements. We thought that you'd have the same body construction. We're sorry."

"Well, you got some of the parts right. It's just that I don't have a proportional body, unlike Ino." She laughed. Ino was well-blessed in lots of things and yet she kept on spending time with someone like her who's always troubled.

"Anyway, you should start fixing those soon." She didn't want them to argue with her, which would most likely happen.

When the seamstresses left, Sakura immediately switched to work mode. "Anything due soon?"

"For you, ma'am, none. Your table would be free until after two months from now."

"Why?"

"You need to be fully accustomed to the way how your new life will work. Once you've learned how to balance being the general manager of the business and being an heiress who everyone's after."

Balancing her life? She didn't need to learn that. She already mastered that skill centuries ago. "Right. So I'm free for the rest of the day?"

"I would suppose."

* * *

You're actually asking me to go shopping with you? What happened?

Let's say I got a lot of load off my back for awhile. Besides, it's to make up for all those times I've cancelled your invitation.

Give me fifteen minutes.

True to her word, Ino arrived fifteen minutes later. "How did you get the time?"

"Don't really know."

"So, let's go shopping!" She held her friend's arm and dragged her to her desk.

Sakura sat down and typed quickly on her laptop. Ino grabbed a chair nearby and sat beside her. When an heiress like Ino says, 'Let's go shopping', it just actually meant sitting in front of a screen and clicking on items. Online shopping.

"Click that one. I'm buying it."

"Okay."

"What about this skirt, Sakura? It will totally go with the light blue top you've never used."

"It's short."

"So? You have legs." Ino grabbed the mouse and clicked it.

"Sheesh. Whatever. You're wearing it."

"Not if it ends up in your closet."

"What the hell?"

Ino just laughed.

* * *

Sakura pulled on a jacket over her night gown before going down for breakfast. Shizune was already there.

"Good morning, Miss Haruno."

"Good morning." She sat on her spot as Shizune stood behind her.

When she was in the middle of her meal; her, now ex-Etiquette Teacher entered. "Good morning, Miss Haruno."

"Ah…oh. Good morning." _'Breathe in, breathe out. You've got this Etiquette thing in the bag.'_

"I will be coming in and out during your meals to check if you're truly ready and if you remember the things I have taught you. Especially about facial expressions when eating or when greeting someone who just came in."

"Alright." She thought about how Ino was much luckier than she was. _'Ino was two months old when she was introduced as a Yamanaka…' _She wasn't expected to have much effort when the camera focused on her…She was a baby! No rules of etiquette, etcetera, etcetera.

* * *

After breakfast, she took a bath and changed into a sundress. Shizune told her to go to the dance room after changing. _'I guess I have to go there for…very obvious reasons…'_ To dance. She gritted her teeth as she went out of her room.

"Ah, Miss Haruno, you're here. This is Kakashi. He'll be your practice partner."

"Right." She approached the white haired man and gave a slight nod.

Kakashi held her hand and music started. He led her to the center as the music started. Though the sundress she currently wore would be deemed 'inappropriate,' she still decided to push through wearing it anyway.

'_Besides, no one seems to care. This is just a practice, of all things.'_

She twirled, moved, glided…whatever it was that was required of her. She knew she was being observed…Shizune, Kakashi, the guy by the CD player…even her ex-Etiquette Teacher who was hiding at the corner of the room.

Damn her life. She curtsied as when the song ended. "Thank you for the dance, Mr. …?"

"Hatake."

"Mr. Hatake."

"It was my pleasure, Ms. Haruno."

"We are not yet done yet, though." Shizune broke their little formality as she approached them with a pair of heels at hand. "We need to go to the foyer and make use of the staircase there. You need to wear these."

Sakura took them and walked ahead of anyone else to the foyer. No one noticed that the hands that held the heels were slightly shaking. _'These are five…nearly six inches tall…'_ How the hell did they expect her to wear these and still be able to walk in a straight line?

"Wait, ma'am." She already reached the staircase within the foyer when Shizune went to her, carrying a light blue evening dress. Sakura grabbed hold of it before Shizune even had the chance to explain.

"I'll wear it."

"Please go to the top of this staircase after."

"Right."

* * *

She took quick, long strides as she went to her room. Closing the door; she stepped out of her sundress, placed it on the floor and wore the gown that Shizune gave her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and shuddered. The dress didn't suit her.

Plus, it seemed like it was made for someone who isn't her. The outfit was sleeveless, the bodice wrapped tightly around her stomach, and it had a full skirt that would definitely weigh like a ton once she tried to balance herself on the killer heels.

'_Speaking of killer heels…'_ She sat on her bed and strapped the heels on her feet. She wobbled slightly as she stood and walked out of her room.

'_Shit.'_ She took two steps. _'Shit.'_ She took another two steps. She sighed. This would take very long if she continued like this.

She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. She can do this. No pair of six inch heels nor a ton-weighing skirt could stop her from trying to get this day over and done with.

With that resolve; she stood straight, focused most of her weight on her thighs, and walked as if she were walking on a normal pair of flat shoes.

Her ex-Etiquette Teacher appeared to be glowing when she finally reached the top of the stairs. Kakashi was waiting at the bottom. Shizune was beside her ex-Etiquette Teacher, both of them waiting with held breaths.

She smiled as she held the railing on her right side, since Kakashi was there, and started her way down. Her smile was fixed, though the three people observing her didn't seem to notice. She reached the bottom of the stairs and gave her hand to Kakashi. Her thighs were aching. The trip down the stairs was long…really long.

"Okay. A few more rounds to go, ma'am."

"What do you mean?" She didn't like the sound of it already…She had to do this over and over again?

"You have to practice going up and down the staircase in that kind of apparel."

"Then what do you want me to do next?"

"To go up the stairs with your right hand, go down again with the left hand, go up once more with the left hand, then take the center." Her ex-Etiquette Teacher summed it all up for her.

"Very well." She held a part of the skirt and went up with her right hand holding the rail.

When she reached the top and turned around; Kakashi was already at her left side, waiting at the bottom. Maintaining her straight back; she held the rail again, this time with her left hand, and started her way down. _'Torture. Pure torture.'_

She reached the bottom again and gave her hand to Kakashi.

She withheld a sigh as she started to go up again, her left hand on the rail in the opposite side from where she met up with Kakashi.

At the top, she went to the center, placed her hands on top of each other in front of her and started her way down again. Her lower extremities, particularly her thighs, would've complained by now if they had the ability of speech.

At the bottom of the stairs; she turned, held her skirt lightly on each side and took each dreaded step upward once more.

Since her face was hidden from the people at the foot of the stairs, she bit her lip and closed her eyes for half a second.

'_God, Lord…whatever else they call you…I swear, if I suddenly enter into a coma soon, I'd start believing more in divine intervention or something…'_

Though she highly doubted that her 'prayer' would be answered.

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**AN:**

Okay, I hope you tell me what you think. :)

This chapter was a bit rushed so please forgive any typos and whatnot.

The turning point for the entire story will be at the next chapter. Haha.

'Til next time! :)


	7. The Haruno Heiress

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**Slight warning:** This chapter contains some long descriptions that I felt I really needed to add. You could skip them, if you want. I just felt I needed to put them in but if you're the type of person who would rather get on with the plot than in the setting, then please ignore all the descriptions. (bows)

**AN:** Thank you for waiting for this update. And, thanks to those who have been consistent readers and reviewers. You've truly made me happy.

Please enjoy! (smiles)

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Chapter 6: The Haruno Heiress

Sakura sat in front of the vanity, quietly watching herself getting all prepped up by the make-up artist and her crew.

"You're such a beauty, Miss Haruno. We won't put in too much 'cause your face might be soiled instead of spiffed."

She ignored what the woman said. She's probably lying since she, personally, never considered herself near pretty. "Shizune, could you please check if Tenten's on her way? And, please make sure that she will be escorted here immediately."

"Yes, ma'am." She turned away from Sakura and mumbled to the radio communicator attached to her.

After her make-up was done, another woman with a different set of crew approached her. "Good afternoon, Miss Haruno. We will be the ones doing your hair for tonight's party."

"Yes, thank you." She didn't want to keep the conversation going on for long.

The hairstylist started brushing her hair. "Do you do maintenance for your hair?"

"No, I've never let anyone touch it, actually. Unless I have my annual haircut."

"Just haircut?"

"Yes." It was so obvious she wanted to end it now but the hairstylist just didn't get it.

"I see…Well, you know, it's so beautiful and soft. Natural color?"

Sakura was sure she felt a vein pop somewhere near her brain. Luckily, it was then that Tenten walked in.

"Sakura? Oh, good God, you're here! I was wishing that I'd finally be able to see you! I mean, after all those guards and maids…"

She laughed at her friend. "Relax, did they give you the note?"

"Yes, in your handwriting, but not seeing you…and in your place are many other people with scary auras have its effect."

"You weren't this scared when we were with Uchiha and Hyuuga on that trip."

"Come on, Sakura, this and that are two very different things!"

She laughed slightly. "Yes, yes. Anyhow, this is the make-up artist," she said, gesturing to the woman who did her face, "she'll be taking care of you for now."

"Okay."

* * *

After both Tenten and Sakura's make-up and hair were done, it was three hours before the party and they had to wear their dresses already.

"Oops, did I have to bring a dress?" asked Tenten, trying as best as she could to remember what Sakura's note contained.

"No, of course not." Sakura knew of Tenten's working conditions and she couldn't have possibly been able to buy a dress even if she asked her to. "I already had a dress made for you. Come on!" She pulled her friend by the arm and followed Shizune out of the room as they went across the corridor.

"The one on the right is Ms. Haruno's while the one on the left is Ms. Tenten's. They," she directed her gaze on the women standing in the middle of the room, "will be assisting you. After you are done, please proceed to Ms. Haruno's room and please wait for me there."

"Alright." Sakura approached her dress without much of a glance at Shizune. She ran her hand over the skirt of the dress, trying to feel how thick it is. She was scared that the dress would be as heavy as the one she practiced in.

Sakura then saw Tenten getting in her dress already. "Hey, aren't you going to use the dressing area?" There were two relatively large 'dressing areas' that looked like cubicles just a ruler's length from them. This was where her mom always tried on her clothing but she was rarely home so it was rarely used and seemed very new.

"No need. The mirrors are here so it would be easier to see how it fits me right away."

She sighed. "Have it your way. I'll dress here too, then." She gave her robe to one of the women and they started to help her put on the dress.

Tenten approached the mirror to get a view herself in the dress more clearly. Her dress was sleeveless. It had a white and olive green abstract, leafy pattern done on the lime green bodice. The skirt down to the hem was of plain olive green.

To put her dress all together; there was a long sash going diagonally from her left hip down to the right end of the skirt and it was done in three different layers of green. The first layer was of a light shade of olive green that seemed to be made of silk. The second layer was of a leafy green that also seemed to be made of silk. And the third layer was made out of translucent lime green that had some yellow, orange, and dark green dots on it. The sash went around to the back of her dress and it seemed to be all tied up in a flower-shaped ribbon right behind her hip.

Tenten never saw herself wearing such a wonderful thing in her entire life. She was already twirling when Sakura was finished putting on hers.

"It suits you so well! You look fantastic." Sakura was almost grinning at her.

"Thanks." She turned to face her friend. "You look awesome in that one too."

"Really?" She turned to face the mirror on her side of the room. Her dress had short red sleeves. The bodice was of a light pink color and had some red lines going diagonally from her right side to the top of the skirt, as well as some leaf-like shapes scattered in between the red lines, right on top of the pink fabric.

The skirt was plain white and had a thick sash going straight from her left hip down to the hem. The sash was of red, the same color as the sleeves and lines on the bodice, and contained the same leaf-like pattern that the bodice had.

"Yes, absolutely. Now chin up and fit the supposedly Haruno heiress image." Tenten lightly smiled at Sakura as she walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Okay?"

"Mm." Sakura nodded.

* * *

They did as they were instructed and went to Sakura's room to wait for Shizune. Their shoes and jewelry have yet to be given.

"So this is your life, huh?" Tenten carefully sat on Sakura's bed.

"Yeah." She, also carefully sat on the bed, beside Tenten. "I'm afraid of the change that will happen in school." She might as well say it to her straight.

"I know." The people who treated Sakura as an outcast would obviously want to be her friend after this.

Sakura smiled evilly. "We'll treat them the same way as we've always done. Ignore, glare, ignore, go to the rooftop, glare, ignore, roll eyes."

"Won't that look bad on your reputation or something? Your father might be an exploding volcano again." There was no humor in her voice even if Sakura found it really funny.

"Tenten, it would be easy to tell the whole truth pertaining to our actions. What do you say?"

She just shrugged. "I give."

"Thanks, Tenten."

"Oh, hey, how the hell will I survive later? I mean, media would be everywhere!"

"Don't worry, you'd be with Ino."

"Yamanaka girl? Insanely rich and insanely famous Yamanaka girl? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And, Ino's not a bad person. You'll get along with her just fine."

"Yeah, in another century when I'm as filthy rich as she is."

"You'll see what I mean when she comes here. She doesn't base her judgment on a person's financial standings, trust me."

It was then that Shizune knocked twice and entered the room without waiting for Sakura's response. "Sorry for barging in, Ms. Haruno. But it's less than two hours away from the party. So, I've brought your shoes and jewelries with me." A woman came in from behind Shizune and approached them. "I will return when it's half an hour before the party. Please don't ruin your attire by then."

"Shizune, please bring the make-up artist and hairstylist by then so that they could do last minute retouches," said Sakura as Shizune was half away out of her bedroom door.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

When they were done, Sakura let the woman leave.

"Do you have a mirror?" asked Tenten.

"Yeah, right here." A small mirror was handed in front of her but the voice wasn't Sakura's.

"Ino! You're early!" Sakura stood and hugged the blonde heiress.

"Yes, I couldn't be late for this one, you know?" Ino stepped back as Sakura released her. "Who's this beauty?" She tilted her head to the side and looked at Tenten.

"Oh, Ino," Sakura stepped aside a bit, "this is Tenten. Tenten, this is Ino." Tenten stood and nodded her head a bit.

"So you're Tenten!" Ino hugged her tight as if they'd been friends for a long time.

"Uh, yes…"

Ino smiled at her when she let go. "We're going to be the best of friends by the time this is all over."

* * *

When Shizune went back and the needed retouches and final add-ons were done, they went down to the front of the house where two black cars were waiting.

Ino and Tenten entered in one, while Sakura and Shizune entered the other.

"That's a pretty awesome dress, by the way," said Tenten to Ino as the car made its way to the venue.

"Thanks. It took me forever to find this. Since, we're following a pattern." She grinned at Tenten.

"A pattern?"

Ino's dress was simple but elegant, like Tenten's and Sakura's dresses. The short sleeves were gold while the bodice was white that had some abstract swirls on it. The skirt was entirely made out of what seemed like white leaves rimmed in gold thread.

"Yup. Leaves, diamonds, and jewel-encrusted heels. Our dresses, one way or another, have leaves in them. Then our earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are all made out of diamonds in though in different styles…oh, including our hair! We all have our hairs in some sort of half-pony style and there's a diamond flower clip to hold it together. Then our heels…Yours is emerald, Sakura's is ruby, mine is topaz that seems like gold…" Ino laughed. "Sakura doesn't want to stand out at that party."

"I see." Tenten nodded.

The car stopped in front of what looked like a giant medieval castle. There was a pathway in the middle with plenty of people to the sides, being stopped from going near the pathway, due to large barricades and a ton of huge men lined up.

"Now," Ino placed her left hand on Tenten's right arm, "smile."

The driver opened the door at Ino's side and she stepped out, still having a hold on Tenten. Cameras were flashing wild. She smiled a large 'I'm an heiress' smile while Tenten…just smiled.

"Loosen up," whispered Ino as they made their way to the door at the end of the pathway. "You're one of the guests of honor."

* * *

Sakura was in a room near the top of the staircase in the second floor. In a few minutes everyone would know about her. In a few minutes…

There was a knock on the door and Shizune popped her head in. "It's time, Miss Haruno."

'_So I guess I don't have a few minutes after all…It was sooner than I expected.'_

They walked to the direction of the stairs. _'Smile. This isn't practice anymore. Smile. Breathe in, breathe out. Everyone will be watching…'_

She didn't hear the introduction that was made on her accord. Shizune was the one who gave her the signal as to when exactly she's going to show herself.

When she actually did, everyone's eyes were on her. The place was quiet for a moment before some clapping started. She slowly walked down the stairs, a humble smile was on her face while the air of poise and perfection emanated from her entire being.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't believe it. He knew Sakura was hiding something but he didn't exactly figure out that it was this big of a secret.

He kept his composure in check as Sakura passed him and went to sit on a table in front.

"Uchiha," Neji called, "Saw that?"

"Yeah. Didn't expect it."

"Who would've thought that the outcast was an heiress…What are the odds…"

Sasuke nodded.

"Well, shall we?" Neji motioned to move to the front.

"What?"

"I thought we're supposed to ask the Haruno heiress to dance. Look, there's Gaara and Kankuro Subaku already."

True enough, the Subaku siblings were talking to Sakura at that moment. Temari was doing the casual conversation all the while trying to convince Sakura to dance with her brothers.

Sakura gave a very sweet smile at Temari, stood, and agreed to dance with Kankuro first.

Sasuke was sure he had his jaw drop to the floor when he saw how Sakura quickly eased into Kankuro's hold and danced gracefully in the middle.

Gaara was next and she still had her air of elegance with her, as if the almost five minute dance with Kankuro didn't tire her at all.

* * *

Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata stayed seated at their table. Asking Sakura to dance would definitely be an awkward situation for them.

'_But we have no choice…If Hyuuga asks her, I'll have no choice but to go and ask her as well. Though I highly doubt Hyuuga will do it.'_

"Sasuke."

He turned around to the direction of the voice and saw his brother, Itachi.

"Aren't you going to dance with probably one of the hottest women in the country?"

"Who?"

"Sakura Haruno, duh."

"Why don't you go dance with her?"

"Because it would seem unusual if we don't ask her at the same time. She might get the idea that you're not interested in meeting her at all."

"Which is the truth and you know it."

"But she can't know that. Now let's go." Itachi pulled him along to the direction of Sakura's table.

"Don't I have a choice in this?"

"No."

Neji just watched in sheer amusement and didn't bother 'saving' his friend.

"Excuse me, ladies, but my brother and I would like to request a dance with the lovely Ms. Haruno."

"I would be glad to – " Sakura paused in mid-sentence when she saw Sasuke as she stood. "…accept." Whatever she was thinking or feeling at that time, it didn't show on her face. She took Itachi's hand first and let him lead her to the center.

Sasuke watched in silence. Sakura seemed to be so in her place. She completely filled the role of the heiress in an instant, from being the outcast that he knew of back in school.

When it was time for his turn, Sakura's face still gave away nothing.

Sasuke felt like a complete fool. He was there, pressuring himself on what to do, and here was the girl expressionless.

"Thank you for asking me to dance, Mr. Uchiha. It truly is an honor," said Sakura as they danced.

"It's my pleasure, Ms. Haruno." _'Shit. Who exactly is this girl? How many people has she tricked in her lifetime?'_

"I apologize for any…confusion and lies…left on my person. It was to protect the secret I had until the right time."

"I understand."

Sakura smiled softly. Her father was watching her so she had to keep the act up even if it was obvious that Sasuke was deeply troubled by the sudden change in her demeanor.

Sasuke decided to get straight to the point already. "How many people have you tricked into believing what you want them to believe?"

"More than you'll ever know."

"So I'm included in that list of people you've tricked, huh?"

She shrugged as they moved to the center of the dance floor. "Pretty much."

"I see."

Sakura gave him an apologetic glance. She didn't know why but she wanted him to understand that it was because she was forced to do what she did.

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AN:

I'm sorry if this chapter was unnecessarily long for you…

And, haha, I'm also sorry but I'm notifying you right now…It will take yet another long time before the next update. :D

'Til next time!


	8. This is why

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** Yes, another late update. Haha. Thanks to those who are consistent readers and reviewers. I really do appreciate them.

Please enjoy! This is a little bit shorter than usual but, yeah, I made it that way. Haha.

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"You deleted your account? Why?!" Tenten's outburst would've shook the whole school if they weren't on the rooftop.

Sakura sat on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. "I thought about it and it just had to be done. I sent an e-mail to all those who constantly read my works, apologized, and deleted it. That's it. My late in the night writer life is over."

Tenten sat beside her. "Did your father find out?"

"No…but he could have. Someone could tap our home system, find out about it, spread word, then everything could fall apart in less than a blink of an eye right after that."

"Fall apart in what way?"

"In every possible way…My father could find out and ruin my life more than he already has, for one thing. The other possibility is…someone could read my works, find some sort of twisted explanation and broadcast to everyone that the Haruno heiress hates her life."

"I…suppose you're right."

Sakura's chest started to heave up and down very evidently, something that happened when she breathed deeply. "Tenten, plenty of things are different now. My schedule, the people around me, the places and parties I go to, more dance lessons, a little of this, more of that, etc. I don't have time to manage my writer life anymore. By the time I get back home after a party, I still have to study to make up for my student life…and not get knocked off my ranking."

"Yeah…and then at school, you'll still have me to nag you about different stuff, huh?" Tenten laughed after, indicating that there were no hurt feelings involved.

Sakura smiled as she close her eyes and leaned to rest her head on the wall. "Actually, you and Ino take all the stress in my mind away. You know how?" She paused for a bit. "You drain me out so much that my mind doesn't have the energy to think of how much stress it's experiencing anymore."

Both of them laughed at the remark. It ceased when the door to the rooftop, which was right beside where they were seated, opened. The two girls looked at each other, sending a message with their eyes. No one really went up there during the break. Why was someone here now?

When the door closed, they saw Sasuke standing there and looking down on them.

"We need to talk," he said directly to Sakura, as if Tenten wasn't there.

"We can talk later. I'm not a Haruno here, Uchiha. I'm an outcast in this school."

"That rule doesn't apply anymore. Everyone knows about you now. Let's go." He grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the rooftop, leaving Tenten behind.

* * *

"What is the matter with you, Uchiha?! You don't own the world to the point that you could anything as you please with other people." She took her arm away from his grasp roughly and stood straight like the lady she was. "What is it that you want? Class will be starting soon."

"This." He showed her a piece of paper that looked like some important document with various signatures at the bottom of the page.

"Why? Can't understand what's written there?" She gave him an annoyed look.

"Read it, for crying out loud. Why do you even think a man like me would even waste the time looking for a girl, dragging her to a secluded place, and showing her a piece of paper just because he doesn't understand it?" He leaned back on the bark of the tree and crossed his arms as Sakura took the piece of paper.

They were in the farthest and shadiest part of the lawn. No one went there on a regular basis because it was too far from where their classrooms were and running back to class wouldn't get them late, just extremely tired.

She scanned over the text in the document. "This can't possibly be…Impossible. No. We're living in a modern world now, things like this don't exactly happen anymore." She looked at him with a serious expression, indicating that she wasn't up for jokes.

"Do you think I'd even bother to fake that document?"

She would have cursed if not for Sasuke being there. She threw the document back into his hands and walked off briskly without another word.

There were plenty of things in life that Sakura hated the most. Being caught off-guard is one of them. The document Sasuke had definitely caught her off-guard.

* * *

She went inside the car quietly.

"The attire that you need to change into is in the box, ma'am. It's a bit short notice but you will be attending a party tonight. Everything you need is in there. Your hair and make-up would be done once we arrive at our destination," said Shizune as a black screen rolled up to cover her.

She discarded her uniform, wore the simple black dress and heels and attached the jewelry that came with them. She now dreaded the party, knowing full well that it had something to do with the document Sasuke let her read awhile ago.

When the car came to a stop in front of a building, the driver opened her door for her and she stepped out. A woman in a dark blue suit approached her, held her arm and started to lead her to the entrance.

"Let's go now, Miss Haruno. No time to waste."

Sakura looked back to see Shizune walking just behind them. She sighed. _'Just go with it Sakura. This is your life, embrace it with open arms…'_

Soon after, she was situated in a room. A group of people did her make-up and straightened out her hair until they told her that she looked perfect.

"Good for you," muttered Sakura.

"Your father has requested to talk to you once you're ready, Miss Haruno," said Shizune, quickly muttering something into her radio communicator.

"Alright. Could you please lead me to him, then?"

They walked out of the room they were in and went to another room at the end of the corridor. Shizune knocked twice and entered after a man opened the door for them.

Sakura walked inside the room further as Shizune stood beside the man who opened the door.

"You wanted to speak to me, sir?"

"Yes, about the party."

She nodded, silently wishing he'd just dismiss her already.

"The Uchiha family and I have come to an agreement. We've discussed it thoroughly and no decision could have ended better than the one we've come up with."

She stood even straighter and pulled her shoulders back further, if that was even possible. She unconsciously did this to get ready for the next blow that she knew that would come.

"This is a document, signed by me, your mother, and the Uchiha heads…regarding what will be your relationship with their second son, Sasuke."

She nodded and held her gaze strongly at her father's eyes.

"The party is to formally announce to everyone that you are now engaged to Sasuke Uchiha." To be honest; Mr. Haruno had expected a small surprised reaction or at least a tiny hint of objection, but he saw none in his daughter's face.

"I see, sir. Will that be all, sir?"

Mr. Haruno didn't show nor say anything about his utmost confusion regarding his daughter's way of carrying herself. "Yes, that will be all. I'll be meeting you at the party, then."

"Yes, sir." She gave a slight curtsy and turned to leave.

* * *

After all the formalities; and the announcing of the Uchiha-Haruno engagement, it was almost required that a dance be made by the 'couple'.

Sakura gave the best smile she could muster in her current situation as Sasuke held her hand and led her near the center. Sasuke, also, did his best to keep a straight face and not scowl at anyone who's looking at them.

'_Why…is this happening anyway? Since when did my parents interfere with my life? Why didn't Itachi even bother to stop them?'_ Sasuke did his best to try and convince his parents to change their minds earlier but they were already closed and dead-set on letting him be engaged to Sakura. _' 'She seems to be a great girl, Sasuke. And I believe she's the top scorer of your batch, right?' So what? Why do I have to give a shit about her records?'_

For the people who were watching them, they didn't see anything unusual with the two. Heck, most of them believed that the two themselves requested for the engagement to be made.

That was not the case…Actually; it was very, very far from it.

Sasuke noted how Sakura's body was slightly stiff as they danced while Sakura noted how Sasuke's eyes stayed glued on her.

Sakura didn't know why but somehow; she knew and understood what he was feeling. _'I think I'm feeling it too…Hurt, probably. Or, that lingering question as to how our parents could force us into this ordeal. Well, mine I could perfectly understand why my father did this…But his parents are pretty liberated. He's probably wondering how they could do this to him.'_

Sakura wasn't that far from the real reason. But, in all reality, there was another question that didn't leave Sasuke's mind: _'How did they get Sakura into this in the first place?'_

"What do you think? Don't we make the greatest couple ever?" No sarcasm was in his voice when he said it but Sakura could see it in his eyes.

"Yes, the greatest puppet couple ever." Her face gave away nothing either.

They were indeed like puppets on a string now. While society and their family status were their puppeteers.

"I didn't expect you to be this civil to me…after everything that has happened back in school," he commented.

"How I act is none of your business. Now, make sure to put up a good face for the camera…" She smiled as they spun on the dance floor. "…the dance is almost ending."

"Right." He can't help but to admire her skill in this game – the game he called 'facing society'.

When the dance did end; they stopped to smile on all the cameras that went flashing and the crowd that went wild with cheering. They slowly moved out of the dance floor.

"Could we please get the hell out of here for awhile?" muttered Sakura.

"My thoughts exactly."

As they excused themselves out of the room, Sakura heard a woman say, "They just look stunning together, don't they?"

Sakura smiled bitterly, something that Sasuke didn't miss.

They went to the rooftop of the building. The party wasn't held in a hotel since it might cause too much trouble for the hotel guests. The building was owned by the Harunos anyway and it was built for the very purpose of entertaining guests so no trouble was encountered.

Sakura sat down on a nearby chair, the chilly night air enveloping her body as she did so. The dress she was wearing was sleeveless, after all.

Sasuke, on the other hand, just leaned on the wall facing her.

"So, Miss Haruno, how are you feeling?"

"Nothing for you to know, Mr. Uchiha."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Last time I checked, neither of us wanted to be in this engagement so, me telling you anything about myself is pointless."

"Your words hurt, my dear fiancée," teased Sasuke.

"They come as they are, dear," mocked Sakura, not bothered by his words.

Sasuke smirked. _'Chic's tough, gotta give her that.'_

After a few moments, Sakura yawned then stretched her arms. "Shouldn't we be coming back?"

"I doubt that they're even wondering where we are. They're all so happy we're together they probably didn't notice we left."

She only nodded.

"Are you really going to be this passive to me?"

"Why must you even care? The last time we've ever had a nearly decent conversation was during that school trip of ours."

"Don't you want to have more 'nearly decent conversations' with me?" He must admit he found talking to her rather enjoyable.

"Somehow my mind's telling me, hell no."

"Come on; we can't possibly go on with our so called relationship like this."

"Maybe we can." With that said, she stood and left.

* * *

"You got engaged to Uchiha…" Tenten said this as if hell took over.

Sakura laughed, as if she was genuinely happy. "Yes, isn't it great?"

Tenten frowned at her. "Stop being sarcastic, damn it!"

Sakura still giggled a bit. "Sorry…sorry…can't help it."

"What will happen now?"

"Nothing. We go on with our lives. I don't talk to him, he doesn't talk to me…"

"Won't other people be asking questions?"

"Not if I go to his house everyday."

"How the hell are you not going to talk to him if you're going to meet him everyday?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter…it's what we've sort of agreed to anyway. And………"

"And?"

"And, well, this is why I also cancelled my account, no matter how much I didn't want to. No matter how much I love to write and how much I love how other people appreciate them."

Tenten looked at her in understanding.

Sakura sighed then smiled, even though the pain was evident in her eyes. "My life's being taken over slowly. Whatever's left of the little freedom that I have, I must try not to let any of them find out about it."

Definitely, this was the life Sakura was living.

**

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AN:

Sorry it took so long again! Our final exams came up and, obviously, I had to study. Thank you to those who patiently and painstakingly waited for this update. I love you all!

Oh, and please don't forget to review. Hugs for all of you~

Chapter 7: This is why


	9. Being 'friends'

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN:** Yes, another update that took forever to post… [=.="]

So sorry…

But anyway, I made this longer compared to the other chapters so I hope that this will be enough of an apology for you guys. :)

Lastly, thank you to all your wonderful reviews. They make me so happy that some people actually read this. :P

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Chapter 8: Being 'friends'

Three weeks passed and Sakura and Sasuke's 'relationship' remained as it was since their engagement party.

Sakura still went to Sasuke's house everyday though they don't talk much due to Sakura's constant blocking.

She wrote on her notebook fiercely as if she would die if she didn't. Suddenly, the pencil she was writing with snapped in two. It was the only sound emitted in the room after two hours of being in there with her 'fiancé'.

She threw it away in a nearby trash bin. "What do you want?" she turned her head to the side to look at him, who was sitting comfortably on a leather chair.

"What? I wasn't even saying anything."

"No, but you were staring at me…"

"So? Why must that bother you? I thought you're the type of person that doesn't get bothered much."

"Yes, but that doesn't exactly apply anymore when someone's staring at you as if burning a hole through your head."

"How did you come up with that when you haven't even looked up from what you were studying?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

"Then I don't have to explain why I was staring at you either."

She raised an eyebrow for a second before turning back to studying – a sign that she need not continue the conversation anymore.

Sasuke still continued to stare at her. He was…intrigued, if that was the proper word…by the way she carried herself. Sure she was a 'lady', the Haruno heiress…and whatever title the current society gives her.

She was an heiress, but she studied like any other student living under non-heiress conditions. She was already at the top of the whole batch, but she still exerted extra effort to everything as if she was one of those that had the risk of failing or something.

'_Why is that? What's the deal? ………More importantly, why should I even be wondering all of these?' _He's been definitely confusing himself lately because of this…woman.

"Why can't you just study for the tests we have tomorrow instead of staring at me with no rational explanation?" she asked him, annoyed out of her mind.

"I don't feel like studying. Heavens help me, I don't like studying."

She gave him something close to one of his smirks, with a slightly haunted look in her eyes. "Tell me who does and I'll kill myself right on the spot."

His legs and arms seemed to have weighed a ton when she uttered those words. He first believed that she had just a few secrets at hand…but her statement changed that. _'She doesn't a have a few…she has plenty, yes, definitely plenty of secrets…'_ He made no further comment on what she said.

She sighed and started to pack her school things back in her bag. She can't study when someone was distracting her the way he was.

"You're already done?" _'She was studying so intently awhile ago…'_

"Yes. I couldn't exactly continue if you're going to sidetrack me the whole time."

He smirked at her – the smirk that made her want to punch his lights out quickly, regardless of etiquette. "So I affect you that much, huh?"

"Yes…" She didn't even try to deny it. "…To the point of me wanting to get rid of all the etiquette I've learned in class and kill you without even blinking an eye."

Sasuke laughed at her viciousness towards him. _'This woman id definitely interesting…There's never a dull moment with her.'_

While Sasuke was amused, Sakura was far from it. She hated her father's way of thinking even more. _'Well, I could never bring myself to hate my father…I love him. It's his attitude and mind that I hate. He's deciding for me and treating me in matters such as this…'_ She gave Sasuke an icy glare. _'…as if I have no right to say anything at all.'_

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," said Sasuke.

Sakura slung her school bag over her shoulder.

"Oh, Sakura, you're still here?" asked Itachi, pretending that he wasn't aware of the 'two to three hour rule' that Sakura and Sasuke had to spend with each other.

"Yes, but I was just about to leave, actually. It is already getting late and I should really go back home." She stood and offered a small smile, but both the Uchiha brothers could tell it was forced.

"None sense," said Itachi. "Dinner's in a few minutes…why don't you join us? I'm sure your father wouldn't mind, won't he?"

'_Actually, my father wouldn't CARE…but still…'_ "No, I wouldn't want to…intrude…on your family. I think it would be best if I leave now…I have reached the two-hour point already, anyway. I have no other…business…to do here." She made it clear that her engagement to Sasuke had no personal connection whatsoever.

"Intrude? No, of course not. You're practically family already, now come along with Sasuke. I'll tell our parents that you'd be giving us the pleasure of joining us tonight." Itachi couldn't help but smile as he turned around and walked to the dining room.

It was definitely going to be fun teasing his brother and fiancée around.

* * *

Sakura chewed her food slowly, pretending that she was on her second serving from the seemingly endless buffet on the table. In reality, she had only eaten half a plate.

Sasuke knew, of course. He kept an ever observant eye out for her.

The conversation that went on was light and happy. Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha would constantly bring Sakura under the lime light but she would quickly dissolve back in the back ground again.

Sakura hated being given attention so she always diverted the conversation away from her.

When dinner reached its end, the heads of the Uchiha household started to excuse themselves.

"Oh, I'm afraid we'll have to take our leave now. It was such a lovely dinner we had with you, Sakura." Mrs. Uchiha offered her an apologetic smile.

"I had a wonderful time as well, ma'am." Sakura couldn't help but smile at the woman as well. She was such a nice person.

Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha left the dining room without another word.

Itachi turned to his brother and Sakura. "So, I suppose you expect me to leave as well so that you two could have some…alone time…" He smirked mischievously, hinting some things that shouldn't be.

"No, not really. I was going to leave already anyway. I had a nice time. Thank you for inviting me to dinner." She approached the door.

Itachi didn't know why he turned speechless at that moment. _'This girl's probably made out of stone. She's been unresponsive to what I've been doing while Sasuke looks like he's going to explode any second now.'_

"Let me accompany you…" Sasuke, due to his annoyance, just wanted to be away from his brother at the moment.

Sakura shot him a look that said, 'Don't you even dare.'

"It's only right that I do so," said Sasuke defensively.

"Whatever you say…" said Sakura lowly. _'I'm just the puppet anyway. You call the shots after my father.'_

Sasuke walked beside her towards the main door of the mansion. "Do you want me to take you home?" He was fully aware that she walked all the way home when she came from his house.

"It's okay. I fully enjoy the long walk." _'I personally asked my father if I could just walk home…The main reason is to save gasoline – which he immediately agreed to…as long as the family got some extra cash. Typical.'_

"Then I'll walk with you."

"Sasuke, I really don't know what you're trying to pull here. Honestly though, what's the point of starting to be a proper fiancé now? After three weeks of being engaged, that is."

"Maybe it's only now that I've realized that you might face danger when you go home. I mean, everyone knows you as the Haruno heiress now…"

"It's not really that dangerous. I can fight any attacker myself."

"What if the guy was way taller than you and much stronger?" he questioned.

"A gun could kill any man," she replied shortly, just wanting to end the conversation already.

"What if he had a bullet proof vest?" he asked again, following her out of the door.

"Then shooting the face would be the best option."

"What if your gun was knocked off your hand before you even get to shoot? Wait, do you even have your own gun right now?"

"I know martial arts. And yes, I currently have a gun. Will you please stop asking these pointless questions now?"

"Pointless? Why are these questions pointless? Is it wrong to worry about you?"

"If it's you, then yes, it is wrong to worry about me." She started walking out of the gate of the mansion.

"Wait," he grabbed hold of her arm. "Just let me bring you home."

Sakura looked at her watch. It was nine in the evening already. If taking the off got him off her back, then… "Alright. You're wasting my evening anyway. Taking a drive back home would be faster than walking. It'll let me to get rid of you faster."

"Right." He called for a car.

He opened the door for her and she stepped in, muttering a small "thank you" as she sat. She was still a lady, after all.

The driver, meanwhile, was the one who opened the other door for him to step in. "The Haruno house," said Sasuke as he entered. The driver nodded.

"Isn't it obvious to you that I'm trying to make this easier for the both of us? Why are you still a closed door?" he muttered as the car started its way out.

Either fortunately or unfortunately for him, she heard.

"Maybe because I'm not stupid or clueless as most people would like to stereotype about heiresses. Even if both of us 'opened up', so to speak, it wouldn't change the fact that everything is just a set up – something that was planned for us."

"But, then, wouldn't this still be easier if we got along?" he pointed out again. "Even if this was planned for us, something not of our own choosing, the only remedy we could possibly do is to try to get along. This wouldn't seem like a punishment if we were at least friends."

Of course, Sasuke left out the part that he just really wanted to know her…to be able to make her trust him, with reasons that he has yet to figure out.

They had no worry about the driver since he wouldn't be able to hear a thing due to the glass that separated him from the 'couple'.

She sighed. Even if he had stated that he got his grades out of luck, he had outsmarted her in this matter. "Alright, you got me. How do we start anyway?"

"Start what?"

'_Great, maybe his idea was also just from luck…' _"Being friends," she replied, careful not to bring any insults out with her statement.

"Oh, maybe by just being civil to each other, I guess. I'll stop annoying you, and you'll stop…being a block…"

" 'Being a block'?" she questioned, facing him.

There was enough light from the moon to be able to see each other, aside from the cars that passed.

"Yeah, I mean, whenever I say something, you always try to just finish the conversation instantly…"

'_It's true, though._' Their conversation back at the mansion proved that. She just wanted to leave, to get away from him as much as possible. "Okay, I suppose that could work…"

"So we'll do this?"

"Yeah, sure. As…" The car stopped in front of the gate. "…As long as we don't get into too many details about the other. That'll be fine."

The driver went out of the car to open Sakura's door. He received no instruction to enter the estate so what he did was park in front of it and let the lady step out.

"Thank you for taking me home. I appreciate it, really," she said as she stepped out and thanked the driver as well.

"So I guess we'll be doing this often, then?" said Sasuke as Sakura approached the guard at the gate.

"Okay."

* * *

The next few days didn't seem as much of a pain, as Sakura had observed. It was just like what Sasuke told her.

'_I'll give him credit for that…'_ she thought as the last bell for the day rang.

When she gathered her things, she stood and went over to Tenten's desk. They sat apart from each other now, because of her having her surname known to the school.

"I'm gonna be going now, Tenten. I need to fix myself before this gathering thing later. See you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. See 'ya." She stood and hugged her friend. _'Always so busy…'_ "You know, even if I had a family like yours – rich, complete, and all – I don't think I'd be able to take it." She then laughed. "You're much stronger than I am, facing all those things."

Sakura half-smiled. She didn't really believe much of the praises that people gave her. "Thanks, I guess. Anyway, I'll hit the road now." She walked out of the classroom and waved at her friend one last time before rushing to the school entrance where a car was waiting for her.

She entered the car and the driver closed her door before rushing to his seat and driving off.

"This is just a simple and small gathering among the children of the, more or less, powerful families. No head would be there, but do expect that you will be one of the main guests."

"Yes."

* * *

The 'simple and small gathering' turned out to be a party for a hundred or so people. Sakura inwardly groaned. Shizune stood behind her, eyes scanning the entire place with a serious look on her face.

She silently watched from her seat at the VIP table in front. The table was reserved for the heirs and heiresses of the top families. It was to be expected, but that didn't change the fact that she didn't like it.

She directed her gaze back at the elegantly decorated table. It was round, so she was able to see the faces of all its occupants.

To her left sat the Subaku siblings. Beside them was Neji, who was sitting beside the Uchiha brothers. The chair at her right was empty. It was reserved for Ino, who dwelled too much with how she looked like and didn't give a damn whether she was late or not.

She held back a smile. Ino and Tenten were completely opposite from each other, lived entirely different lives, and yet both of them held a place in her heart wherein she trusted them fully.

She heard a laugh from behind and a familiar rhythm of heels clicking on the floor. "Hi everyone. So sorry I'm late." Ino sat beside her pink-haired friend. "Oh, that's so good of the planner to let us sit beside each other, Sakura." She smiled.

"Yes."

"So, how are things going on your side of society?" asked Temari, casually starting a conversation, looking straight at Sasuke.

The others silently waited for Sasuke's answer.

"Nothing really. Itachi here handles most of the work. I'm in just for support and back-up. The engagement with Ms. Haruno was the latest major move that I made with society."

"Oh, really?" Kankuro smiled teasingly. "Getting busy or what?"

Sakura slightly smiled. "No, no, Mr. Subaku. Nothing of the sort."

Kankuro smiled at Sakura. _'This girl seems nice …'_

Of course, he didn't know that she was acting everything out.

Ino gave a sideways glance at Sakura. Her friend could definitely be given a token of something along the lines of 'Being an actress since she was born' and everyone would be shocked that she was just putting up an act. She had everything in her hands. Everyone believed her. _'All I hope is that it doesn't come exploding at her one day…'_

* * *

When they've reached one hour and a half since the party began, the dance floor was requested to be cleared.

"Alright everyone," said the host of the party over the microphone after everyone went back to their seats, "we're going to do our little routine now to liven this place up a bit."

A man walked over to the host, a fish bowl in his hands. "Each person who was invited has a certain number. Every number is here in the fish bowl. Whatever number I pick, the corresponding person will be flashed on the screen, okay? And that person, if he or she is present, will do something for us. Is that okay?"

There was a sound of approval from most of the attendees.

The host then picked a piece of paper from the bowl and opened it. "Number 8," he said.

The front of the room, where Sakura and the others were seated, grew dark.

"Let's see who number 8 is," muttered Ino, not really wanting it to be her.

Sakura just stayed quiet. _'What are the odds that it'll be my face that'll be showed on there?'_

The screen on the wall flashed a picture of a woman with green eyes and long…pink hair.

'_Oh great. I forgot the saying, "Whoever said life was fair?" What are the odds that it'll be you, Sakura? There are no odds…it'll just be, plain and simple, you. Shit. I have to do something for these people?'_

"Oh, Miss Sakura Haruno…" the host directed his gaze at the VIP table in front. He gave a smile. "…care to showcase any of your hidden talents?"

Sakura just wanted to kill the man right then and there. Wary not to show any of her true feelings; she slowly stood and smiled.

"What are you going to do for us tonight?"

Sakura pondered over it for a moment. Then she remembered there was a piano near the screen on the wall. It had been left unnoticed… _'We're going to change that soon…'_ "I guess I'll just play piano."

"Piano it is!" said the host, a little too happy for Sakura's current mood.

Sakura walked away from their table, discreetly gave Ino her tiny purse, and went to the piano. A microphone was quickly set up beside it.

Sakura sat and began playing the first piece that came to mind.

Sasuke watched how her fingers moved. Slender, delicate, smooth-looking… _'I wonder how those would feel against my hands…'_ Then he quickly shook that thought off, like all his previous other thoughts about how her body would feel against his, how her hair would be against his fingers, and whatnot.

When Sakura finished, everyone applauded her. She curtsied and silently excused herself from the party, Shizune right at her heels.

* * *

She went to the garden, located outside where the party was held, and sat on a wooden bench. At the moment, regardless of the sleeveless cocktail dress that she wore, she didn't feel the cold of the night.

A few seconds after, they heard footsteps. Shizune stepped aside when she saw that it was Sasuke.

"Sakura." He sat down beside his 'fiancée'.

"What do you want?" She sounded exhausted, even if she only played just one piece.

"Do you want to leave already? We could easily excuse ourselves from this, you know."

"I'm aware of that. It's just…" she slightly bit her lip, "…I don't want to be a burden. I mean, you still might want to stay. And we can't leave separately because it wouldn't look right…So just tell me when you want to leave, okay? I'll leave that to you."

"Answer my question." He looked at her straight in the eye. "Do you want to leave already? Answer me honestly."

"Shizune, leave us." Her bodyguard hesitantly moved away.

She then looked back at him with the same seriousness that he gave her but said nothing.

"Come on," Sasuke said softly, "you're the smartest person in our level, and you can't answer a simple yes or no question?"

Sakura smiled slightly. "It's not the question that I'm having trouble with. It's the statement that came with the question," Sasuke frowned at this, "You told me to answer honestly…from where exactly? Do I answer from my heart or from my mind?"

Sasuke was beyond surprised. Her heart and her mind were torn? _'Why is that? She's an heiress; she's supposed to be able to do anything she wants…'_

He looked intently at her. Her sad, lost eyes…her downcast face…her gloomy aura…

He acted on impulse.

He reached out and hugged her tight against him.

Sakura stiffened and shifted slightly in his arms but Sasuke held her firmly in her place and didn't let go.

She finally gave in to his hug. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and moved closer to him.

And for the first time for as long as she could remember…she genuinely relaxed.

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** Okay, I really hope that this slightly long chapter made up for another update that took me so long to post .

AN:

Haha. Please drop a review? :D

I'd really appreciate it. :)


	10. Sasuke's emotions

**Her life, His problem**

_By: WildSilence023_

**Rated T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**AN 1:** Okay, this is already a rather fast update compared to the previous ones but this is a bit shorter too.

**AN 2:** This chapter picks up from where we last stopped at the previous chapter. Haha.

By the way, thank you to all of your wonderful reviews! They make me very happy. They even make me forget that I have to study TONS of things before summer vacation ends. Haha.

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Chapter 9: Sasuke's sorted out emotions

Sakura closed her eyes as she leaned her cheek more on his shoulder. She held her hands together over her lap and it looked like Sasuke was attempting to carry her.

…And all was peaceful between the two…

Until Sakura forced her eyes open and jerked her body away from Sasuke until he was forced to let her go.

He looked at her questioningly.

"…Sorry. It's just, this isn't what we could call a 'normal' situation for us…Don't you think so too?"

Sasuke blinked. _'Sure, it isn't normal…but, I won't deny that it felt good hugging her…'_

When she received no response from him, she assumed that he still hadn't recovered from his shock. "I'm really sorry, Sasuke…" She looked down at her lap. She hadn't intended for that to happen. They were supposed to just be 'friends'…or at least that's what they have agreed upon. _'This can't be happening…'_

"No, I don't think it's something to be sorry about…We both gave in, and that happened. Nothing was lost, nor is something to be regretted, right?"

She nodded, not wanting to argue.

"Sakura, look at me." He held her chin and directed her face towards him. "Surely, you can't be that troubled by a hug, are you?"

A slight blush appeared on her face – for only a quick second – before she pulled her face away from his grasp. "Of course not. It's nothing more than physical contact that happened between two different people of different genders."

Sasuke blatantly rolled his eyes. "So I suppose your mind is acting on you right now?"

She was taken aback. _'This DEFINITELY couldn't be happening.'_ She regretted having revealed that part of her to him…the part where her mind and heart were torn in decisions. _'What's happening to me lately?'_

She sighed and stood. "I'll be returning to the party now."

When she took a step away from the bench, Sasuke reached out and grabbed hold of her hand. "So that'll be your answer every time you're faced with something that you can't deal with? To walk away from it?"

She turned to face him, her hand still held by Sasuke's firm grip. "It would ensure that I won't do nor say anything stupid…Earlier on, I didn't do this so it caused me to speak such nonsense sentences."

" 'Nonsense'? How could you call that nonsense? It was what you view as the truth! Do you always hide all of that away?"

"Whether I do or not shouldn't be your problem. Matters like personal wants are best to be looked down on."

"So your mind is speaking for you again, is it?"

She accepted that the best thing to do with their situation right now was to just let everything out. _'Sasuke and I being 'friends' recently doesn't help with this…I can somehow feel that he knows me…inside and out. It'll be hard keeping things form him now.'_ "Yes, but that's what my heart is telling as well. There's no difference."

"What was that about your heart and mind earlier, then?"

"Like I said, it was nonsense. Don't put meaning into it." So much for letting everything out.

Sasuke was frustrated with how their conversation was going. He tried to let her express what she truly felt, and when he was almost near that goal, she would go back to square one.

"Sakura," he said, his voice laced with surrender, "I'm trying to be more like a friend to you. I thought we already talked about this…"

"We did. I said that it was okay as long as we don't dig too much in each other's personal lives…You are trying to dig too much."

"Then maybe I don't want to be just friends anymore," he muttered but quickly sealed his lips shut, fearing that Sakura might have heard him.

"What?"

"Nothing, forget about it. Look, okay, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I won't force you…"

"Thank you – "

"So I'm going to ask you this as a friend, then…Don't hold the truth from me as much as possible, please."

Sakura looked deep in his onyx orbs, trying to judge if she could actually trust this man or not. When he looked back at her unflinchingly, she knew. "Alright."

"I'll take your word for it…Sakura."

He'd been calling her by her first name often recently……So why was it that this was the first and only time that she'd let a light pink blush graze her cheeks when her name rolled off his mouth like candy?

* * *

Sakura started to find comfort in Sasuke's presence day by day. He was always ready to listen, ready to give an honest opinion, just to help her out in any way.

But, of course, the pink haired heiress knew her limits. She still kept the seas of her emotions and true thoughts at a safe distance.

It was something that Sakura found unavoidable and Sasuke accepted it with an open mind…and heart.

'_It's just the way she is…'_

"Sasuke, what do you think of the sky?" They were in the park where she did her runs.

Sasuke looked up. "Cloudy." Truly, the sun was shielded by numerous clouds but it was still too bright to indicate the coming of rain. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, actually. I just happen to like this kind of sky…But then, I happen to like the sky in whatever form, so it's pointless."

"Even when the sky is dark whenever it's raining?" Most girls hate rain…from what he gathered.

She smiled; her eyes still on the heavens. "I like that the most."

He glanced at her with a sad look in his eyes.

Sakura noticed, as usual. "What? The rain helps me think," she said, almost defensively.

"Oh." _'I guess she really is different…'_

A moment of silence passed between them, Sakura seemingly content with just gazing at the sky.

"Hey, Sakura…"

"What?"

"Would you be willing to be my date for an upcoming party in the Hyuuga house?"

It was then that she dropped her gaze to look at him. Then she laughed. "Even if I wasn't willing I'd still go with you, you know."

Sasuke smirked – something that he hadn't done in awhile – and said, "Yeah, you're tied to me by an unbreakable string. It's stated in the contract."

She smiled. " 'Unbreakable'? It is. But only one person could do it."

"What? Who?"

"You didn't read the entire engagement contract? It said there that only you could break this off. The condition is that you have to find someone else as your fiancée."

"It was really there?"

"Yup." She nodded, to emphasize her point.

"I don't think that time will come anyway so that rule is useless."

'_Only time could tell, Sasuke…Only time. After all, I'm worth nothing so, obviously, you will make use of that rule soon.'_

* * *

Sakura held on to Sasuke's left arm, like the fiancée that she was.

She placed a small smile on her face, instead of the usual stoic one, so that no one would be able to see through her. _'A smile is one of a lady's best weapons…'_

They entered the hall, their 'high and mighty' auras intact.

Heads turned to the newly arrived couple. They looked so perfect for each other.

Totally meant to be. – was a comment often seen on recent articles about them.

"It certainly is a surprise, Uchiha. You coming in here without that smug smirk on your face."

Sasuke smirked. "This smirk?"

Neji smirked back at his friend. "Yeah, thought so. It just isn't you without it, huh?"

"Probably." He shrugged, dropping the smirk once more.

Neji then eyed Sakura, who was 'attached' to Sasuke like they were two perfect love birds. "Good evening, Miss Haruno. It's a pleasure to have you here." He extended his right hand in her direction.

"Please, the pleasure is all mine." She let go of Sasuke and shook Neji's extended hand.

"Well, if you two would excuse me, I will go see the other guests now."

"He turned so formal right after he shook your hand. Do you have powers or something?" Sasuke remarked after Neji left them.

"Of course not! He was probably just joking around." She held on to his arm again.

"So shall we go to our table, then, my lady?"

"Shut up."

When they reached their assigned table, Sasuke pulled out a chair for Sakura to sit.

"Thank you."

He nodded in response before taking the seat at her right.

Other guests that occupied the same table stared at the couple in acknowledgement before gradually returning to their original conversation, inviting the two to join them.

"So, anyway, I looked at the bags that I was carrying and asked my bodyguard to, obviously, carry them for me…" said a girl at the table.

"And then what?" inquired another girl.

"So he did…and then he just happened to drop some of the bags when we rode the escalator! I mean, those things were worth more than what he earns for half a year! How could he be so clumsy?"

"They do tend to be like that. Complete idiots."

'_I'd like to shove your mouths down the toilet and call you the idiots…Those were just shopping bags, for goodness' sake!'_ Sakura hated it when people looked down on others just because they weren't as rich as they were.

"How about you, Miss Haruno? Hopefully you haven't experienced anything similar with a stupid bodyguard, have you?" inquired the girl who was complaining about her bodyguard.

She sipped some of the juice that was served before directing a cold gaze at the girl that made her flinch. "No, because I facilitate in choosing the bodyguards who come with me to the malls. Someone complaining about 'a stupid bodyguard' is only living up the mistake that one has brought upon one's self."

The two girls talking earlier both gulped before completely paling due to embarrassment.

Sasuke gave a smirk at Sakura's direction, not even bothering to hide his amusement. "Now," he said, gaining the attention of everyone in the table, "If you'll excuse us, I would like to have a dance with my fiancée."

He stood and helped Sakura out of her seat. Sakura smiled to herself.

When they were near the dance floor, she said, "Thanks for that, Sasuke. Problem is; I'm not a very good dancer and that this would only result to me getting humiliated instead."

"I bet that's not true. Besides, someone at the top one spot in school couldn't possibly be backing out on something as minor as this, could she?"

Sakura stepped further in the dance floor, not bothering to answer him in words.

The song that played was something joyful, and yet slightly romantic at the same time.

They moved together, with Sakura following Sasuke's lead, and anyone who saw them would stop to stare.

If they looked perfect for each other earlier…Now, they looked like a match made in heaven, and that would be saying it lightly.

"I thought you weren't good at this," remarked Sasuke. "Why are you doing the complete opposite, then?"

She twirled in his arms then locked her eyes on his. "I'm just following your lead, there's nothing extraordinary about it. If I want to survive this dance, then I'm going to have to depend on the guy; in this case, you." She gave him a bright smile.

Sasuke smirked down at her, not believing what she just said. _'We'll see.'_

They continued with their dance without a care of what went on with their surroundings. It was easier to focus on their dance that way.

Sakura held on to Sasuke's shoulders while he placed his hands on her waist – too high for his liking, but it was the norm.

When their dance ended; Sakura slightly stepped away from Sasuke and let go of her hold on him but Sasuke still had her in his grasp.

He was too caught up in a daze because of her smile that he was unaware that they've stopped.

"Sasuke?"

Hearing her voice, he snapped back to reality. "Oh." He let her go.

"Thank you for the dance."

"Actually, I should be the one thanking you." He gently held her hand and brought it to his lips.

Surprised by his actions, a blush appeared on her cheeks unconsciously. He then escorted her out of the dance floor and to the fountain, outside of the party.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want to go back to our table yet," he said.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm truly smarter than you…As if the school could make a mistake with our grades?" A slight frown appeared on her face, but the blush was still there.

'_Aww, shit, she was looking like a goddess just a moment ago…I need her to smile again, damn it._' He laughed, heartily and true, which deepened her blush more. "I could never beat you even if I did study hard."

She gave him a bright smile once more, as a sign of thanks.

They both sat on the edge of the fountain. Sasuke looked at her appreciatively while she looked up at the sky, unaware of his intent gaze.

'_Definitely just one word for her right now…Perfect.'_

She sighed in contentment as the night breeze blew past them.

He smiled at the sight. He didn't even bother to hide his adoration for her anymore. He was…attracted…to her. _'There, I admitted it already!'_

She looked at him with the same contented smile on her face. "Sasuke…"

'_Music. Pure music to the ears.'_ "Hm?"

"I…really don't know how to say this but, I really appreciate what you've been doing for me." She removed eye contact. "It makes my life seem less chaotic."

He gently held her hand. "Sakura, when you said that your heart and mind were torn, was it exaggerated?"

She casually shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. They say that the teenage mind tend to exaggerate emotions so I can't really judge."

He gave out an uncertain nod, his desire to help her more increasing. _'I want to help her…so badly.'_

**

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**

AN:

Okay, haha, is it just me or did this chapter seem to drag on too long?

Do you want the story to be a little bit more fast-paced or is the pacing in how I wrote this chapter already okay?

Please tell me what you think. Thanks so much. Hugs for all of you. :D


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